There’s a cost to the Knicks’ dream of landing another star. Maybe even a superstar, if they dared.
They have the luxury of a trove of first-round draft picks and a methodical president who — in the right situation — could put together an irresistible offer, but for the past year-plus, they’ve remained just that: a team on the upswing with a trove of first-rounders and a methodical president.
The Knicks’ fantasy created discourse. Discourse created optimism. Optimism created impatience. And the impatience never really fades.
There are only two ways for the Knicks to quiet the superstar talk. Leon Rose could trade for one — that solution remains obvious. He could snag Joel Embiid from the 76ers or, perhaps more realistically, Mikal Bridges from the Nets or Karl-Anthony Towns from the Timberwolves or someone else from some team at some point, and that would end any lingering discussion. Rose would’ve made his ultimate move. Everything else would settle into place around the new centerpiece and Jalen Brunson.
