The Knicks may be having a hard time luring free agents to Madison Square Garden, but they may have another method to land star players.
According to SNY's Ian Begley, some within the Knicks' organization believe they are "incredibly well positioned to trade for a disgruntled star" if such a player were to hit the market.
At least one front office member called it "the best path" for the team.
The path of free agency has certainly not worked out the way the Knicks envisioned.
They whiffed last summer while Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant join forces across the East River in Brooklyn to play for the Nets, leaving the Knicks empty-handed.
But finding disgruntled stars via trade is not uncommon in the NBA. Irving, Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, Kristaps Porzingis and Anthony Davis have all been traded since the summer of 2017 after becoming unhappy with their current situation.
The Knicks also have plenty of assets, too. After trading Marcus Morris for Moe Harkless, a 2020 first-rounder and 2021 second-round pick, they now have seven first-round picks over the next four years and flexible cap space to take on a short-term contract.
Per Begley, the Knicks were actually willing to part with a first-round pick in trade deadline negotiations for D'Angelo Russell and Terry Rozier, but negotiations stalled when team president Steve Mills was ousted from his position.
Since then, he has been replaced by former player-agent Leon Rose, but Rose seems willing to be aggressive in the trade market, too.
