After a surprising run to the Eastern Conference Semifinals this year, the Knicks are at a fork in the road this offseason. What will they do? And could it involve newly-crowned NBA MVP, Joel Embiid?
Once New York and the Philadelphia 76ers are both eliminated from the playoffs, rumors of the Knicks wanting to make a run for Embiid started resurfacing. We also recently put together a hypothetical blockbuster trade to bring The Process to Madison Square Garden.
While anything can be on the table for the NBA offseason, a couple of executives shot down the New York fantasy. It was done in probably the most direct way possible, too. Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney shared parts of his conversations with those execs:
It is a nice story, Embiid to the Knicks. But there’s no way it happens.
I’d say that is a pipe dream, but I am not sure what pipe that would come out of. The Knicks have picks, that is their asset. Philly is not looking to give up the MVP of the league for draft picks. That’s not their mode right now. They’re not desperate. Think again.
Pipes? J.R. Smith enters the chat. Anyway, here’s what another NBA executive said about this rumor:
The Knicks want to add, they want a star, but they’re not going to be unrealistic. Embiid is unrealistic for them. They could give up, what, R.J. Barrett and Mitchell Robinson and maybe Julius Randle? Philly won’t do that, not this year or next year.
Daryl Morey wants star players, that has always been his M.O. Give him a couple of stars at the top of the roster and he is one of the best at finding ways to fill out the rest of the roster—guys like Carl Landry and Patrick Beverley and Montrezl Harrell. He is not going to trade Embiid for parts or for upside. He can find those on his own. Forget it. The Sixers probably won’t trade Joel Embiid as long as Daryl Morey is there.
It seems like the Embiid-to-the-Knicks dream will remain just that. But who knows? NBA free agency can get pretty wild. While we’ll have to mostly close this door, we might as well keep it cracked. You know — just in case it needs to be kicked open at some point.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
