The Knicks accomplished more than many initially expected during the 2022-23 NBA season. Now that their campaign is finished after getting eliminated by the Miami Heat, it’s time to start thinking about next year. What could New York do to get to the next level? Could it include acquiring newly-crowned NBA MVP, Joel Embiid?
Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News said on Twitter that Embiid being on the Knicks’ radar is something that’s been floating around in the rumor mill since midseason. And now that the Philadelphia 76ers once again blew a chance at getting past the Eastern Conference Semifinals, it’s gained even more steam.
Been told since midseason that Joel Embiid is the guy to watch for the Knicks, and Philly's playoff flame out only intensified that belief. https://t.co/DNjttfh6Vp
— Stefan Bondy (@SBondyNYDN) May 19, 2023
After taking a positive step forward this year, the Knicks are at a fork in the road. Now, the expectation is for New York to find a way to hit the next level. This summer is sure to be a wild one. I’m sure Knicks fans would much rather take Embiid off Philly’s hands instead of entertaining the idea of bringing the recently-fired Doc Rivers aboard. That’s just a hunch, though.
Are the Sixers headed for a makeover? I mean, something needs to change after three straight years of getting eliminated in the Eastern Semis. Especially the most recent one. They were just a few minutes away from closing out the Boston Celtics in Game 6. And then everything unraveled from there.
Changes have already started with Rivers getting the boot. As we can see from the above tweet, it doesn’t seem like James Harden will be sticking around, either. Embiid is obviously a valuable player — the NBA’s most valuable this year, in fact. So, making him available in trade talks could bring Philly a bounty of productive players/draft picks to change the organization’s short- and long-term future if they decided to do so.
Plus, it’d be pretty cool to pair Joel Embiid at Madison Square Garden with Jalen Brunson, right? We’ll see what happens.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
