Knicks are struggling at times this year and it seems like they have a cap on how far they can go, however I do not think that major changes are needed and small depth tweaks along with a new Head Coach can take this team to the next level. Teams very rarely win a championship in their first year with a newly assembled championship caliber roster. The Knicks made two major trades this past offseason in acquiring Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets and Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves. Moves like this are championship needle moving trades however they tend to deplete a team's depth which is exactly what happened with the Knicks. It can take a team an extra year to rebuild the bench unit and regain their depth. Currently the Knicks have players like Precious Achiuwa, Landry Shamet, and Cam Payne coming off their bench, no offense to those guys but they just aren't championship caliber bench pieces whatsoever. Upgrading the bench will take stress off the starters and allow the Knicks to win bench minutes and score more bench points which they don't do at all right now. However, this isn't even the Knicks biggest problem in my opinion, the coach is. Tom Thibodeau needs to go for this Knicks team to become a true contender. Whether that's moving Thibs to a front office role or firing him entirely they need a new modern coach in here and I think it can make a major difference as it did with the Clevland Cavaliers this season. Some potential coach candidates could include Sam Cassell assistant coach for the Boston Celtics, Chris Quinn assistant coach for the Miami Heat, Johnnie Bryant associate head coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers, or even a guy like Dan Hurley head coach for the UCONN Huskies. There will be plenty of other good candidates, but these are some of my favorites with Sam Cassell and Chris Quinn being my top choices. Focusing on these two things this offseason I believe will take the Knicks to the next level and put them at the same tier as the Celtics, Cavs, and Thunder.

Now for the moves, first thing I would do is acquire Peyton Watson a young athletic wing from the Denver Nuggets. The Knicks lack wing depth whatsoever so that will be the main focus here. The Knicks are sending Tyler Kolek, Pacome Dadiet, The Wizards First Round Pick which will not convey this year so will be a 2026 First Round Pick Top 8 Protected, and a second-round pick. The Nuggets get two picks along with two young pieces for Watson who will be entering the final year of his contract before being a RFA in 2026. The Nuggets cannot take on more salary, so the Hornets help this trade by taking on the additional salary. As another part of this trade, I have the Knicks moving up in the 2nd Round of the 2025 NBA Draft. Right now, the Knicks will have the Grizzlies second round pick which is projected 53rd overall, I have the Knicks trading that and two additional second round picks to get the Pelicans second round pick form the Hornets. Right now, that Pelicans pick is projected 34th overall and the Knicks would move up with the intention of drafting RJ Luis Jr. the Junior wing from St. Johns. RJ Luis Jr. who averaged 18.5 PPG, 7.2 REB, and 2.1 AST this season for St. Johns shooting 44.8% from the field and 34.3% from deep was named the Big East Player of the Year this year. With potential as a good two-way player, he is a more polished player for the Knicks who could give them minutes now if need be but will need to develop his jump shot more to be a very successful NBA player. The final piece I have the Knicks adding is Jake LaRavia from the Sacramento Kings on the Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception. Who would be an awesome addition for this Knicks bench as a young player with more room to grow who can give them a good mix of size, scoring, shooting, rebounding, and a bit of defense. It's possible the Kings resign him for a bit more than the taxpayer mid-level, but he is an UFA this offseason and a bigger role on a contending team's bench could entice him to come to NY.

Overall, I think these moves would drastically improve the Knicks roster next season as long as they bring in a new Head Coach. I also think that Josh Hart needs to be moved to the bench going forward as that seems to be where he plays his best. Deuce McBride to the starting 5 would give the Knicks a true 5 out look and give more energy to the bench with Josh Hart running it. With Thibs being gone the minutes should also hopefully be less and allows guys to stay healthy and fresh. The Roster breakdown could look something like this:

Head Coach: Sam Cassell/Chris Quinn

Starting 5 PG: Jalen Brunson (34 mins) SG: Deuce McBride (28 mins) SF: Mikal Bridges (31 mins) PF: OG Anunoby (31 mins) C: Karl-Anthony Towns (30 mins)

Bench 6th: Josh Hart (27 mins) 7th: Mitchell Robinson (26 mins) 8th: Jake LaRavia (18 mins) 9th: Peyton Watson (15 mins) DEPTH: Ariel Hukporti, RJ Luis Jr. Kevin McCullar Jr., some minimum and two-way signings to fill the roster

MINS Breakdown: PG: Brunson 34/48, McBride 14/48 SG: McBride 14/48, Hart 27/48, Bridges 7/48 SF: Bridges 24/48, Watson 15/48, Anunoby 9/48 PF: Anunoby 22/48, LaRavia 18/48, Towns 8/48 C: Towns 22/48, Robinson 26/48

I know there is technically not Point Guard off the bench but with Brunson likely playing 34 or more mins a game at PG I'm sure they can stagger Deuce's mins for him to play the 14 additional PG mins with Brunson on the bench.

Let me know thoughts?