Should the Knicks make a trade offer for Joel Embiid right now?
It Finally Happened.
After months of trying to get moved, James Harden was officially traded to the Los Angeles Clippers this past Tuesday. The 76ers received Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington, KJ Martin, and Marcus Morris along with multiple draft picks. The 76ers are trying to retool this roster to compete in the near future but what does this mean for Joel Embiid? More importantly, what can this potentially mean for the Knicks?
New York has been in need of a superstar player for years. They hasn’t had the capital or the attraction of winning to reel in the big fish. This might have changed but a deal like this is still going to take some work to get done.
According to a report by Ian Begley of SNY, the Knicks previously did make an offer for Joel Embiid.
The 76ers didn’t pay much attention to it. Also, as of now, sources say that Embiid is still committed to the 76ers franchise. Even though this is the case, the Knicks should still be aggressive in trying to get a deal done.
Knicks Assets
The Knicks have five future first round picks alongside young players that can be attractive for 76ers, who would be going into a rebuild if Embiid was traded. In previous trade talks , the Knicks included Julius Randle, R.J Barrett, Evan Fournier, and Mitchell Robinson as pieces in a deal. If I’m the Knicks GM, I might want to consider including a third team in this deal.
Not only would this help the Knicks retain assets but it would also help the 76ers acquire more of a haul than they are already getting from New York. Ultimately, trying to make a deal happen this early in the season is a tough task. But with the Harden trade being finalized, it wouldn’t hurt to make another offer.
Furthermore, another reason why the Knicks should stay assertive in their pursuit for Embiid is because of the point he is at in his career. Joel Embiid will be 30 years old in March. The Knicks don’t have much time to be patient with acquiring Embiid. It’s clear that he wants to win no. With him coming off of an MVP season you don’t want to waste time waiting while he’s in the prime of his career. Having this opportunity linger over time can potentially derail the possibility of getting him due chances of injury or even another team making a trade for him as well. Strike when the iron is hot! This situation can be a lot different in a season or two from now.
Lots of upside
An opportunity to acquire a player of Joel Embiid’s caliber does not come around often, especially for the Knicks franchise. As currently constructed, the Knicks have a good playoff team but acquiring Embiid can change everything for New York. Title contention. Box office appeal. Revenue. There’s so many positives that can occur if the Knicks can make a deal like this happen. If the 76ers still decline an offer, New York should continue to keep an eye on how this season unfolds for Philadelphia. Opportunities like this have slipped away from the Knicks in the past. They need to make sure that this isn’t the case again. Stay at the forefront of any trade talks involving Embiid and do everything to make the deal happen if Embiid changes his mind about being traded.
Don’t let this one slip away.
