What Knicks trading for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would mean for future

For the second time in eight days, the New York Knicks will be tasked with trying to contain Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. After the Oklahoma City Thunder scored 145 points last weekend at MSG, the Knicks will look to get revenge on the rebuilding squad.

The Thunder suffered a tough blow during the offseason when Chet Holmgren went down with a Lisfranc injury that will keep him sidelined for the entirety of the 2022-23 season. There were big expectations for Holmgren in his rookie season after being drafted No. 2. overall, but OKC fans will have to wait another year to see the Gonzaga product play. In the meantime though, Gilgeous-Alexander has been putting on an absolute show.

He is averaging a fourth-best in the league 31.1 points per game and is shooting a career-high 53.4% from the floor. His impact doesn’t stop on the offensive end, as he’s also averaging a career-high 1.8 steals and 1.4 blocks per game. In the win over the Knicks on Nov. 13, SGA was too much for New York as he scored 37 points (13-of-22) and added eight assists, five rebounds, three steals, and two blocks in 36 minutes.

Because Gilgeous-Alexander is on a team that continues to sit toward the bottom of the Western Conference, trade rumors have already started up. He’s been linked to the Raptors, which is fitting considering that he’s a Toronto native. With the Knicks passing up on Donovan Mitchell over the summer, New York could (and should) be in the running for SGA if OKC makes him available.

Will the Knicks trade for Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander?

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, NBA executives believe that the Knicks are holding onto their trove of first-round picks for a “megastar.” That isn’t a surprise, given that New York has been trying to bring a star to MSG for years now. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander doesn’t yet qualify as a megastar, but at the age of 24, he’s on track to being a star in the NBA.

He’s dealt with injuries in the past, but if he can stay healthy this season, he’s likely going to be in Salt Lake City for the 2023 NBA All-Star Game in February. With the trade deadline happening a little over a week before All-Star weekend, SGA could be on a new team by that point.

Before the start of the season, Thunder GM Sam Presti reiterated that Gilgeous-Alexander has made a “long-term commitment” to OKC. But as SGA continues to outperform the team that he’s on, Presti could decide to add to the Thunder’s own treasure chest of draft picks.

Just like with Donovan Mitchell, New York has what it would take to trade for Gilgeous-Alexander. One of the Knicks’ most glaring issues thus far this season is that the team’s ceiling is mediocrity as they’re still without a star. SGA would change that.

One of the main questions about trading for Mitchell revolved around a backcourt of Brunson-Mitchell, but SGA is a dominant two-way player. And with the guard in the first season of the five-year extension that he signed, New York wouldn’t have to worry about the guard entering free agency until the summer of 2027.

Even if Gilgeous-Alexander doesn’t get traded before the deadline, there’s been rumblings about how the guard will feel about going through another losing season in Oklahoma City. If the summer of 2023 is headlined by a possible SGA trade, the Knicks could have another repeat of this past offseason by bidding with Presti for the Thunder star. Hopefully this time, it’d end in New York’s favor.

The bottom line is that if the Thunder show a willingness to discuss a potential Shai Gilgeous-Alexander trade, the Knicks need to do what they can to bring the guard to NYC. If not, another team in the Atlantic Division will.