The Knicks may have just broken through with an NBA championship, but the bigger question is what comes next. Running it back with essentially the same core is one route.
Swinging for a bigger name is another. And in this case, the idea on the table is a bold one: Zion Williamson to New York.
That kind of move would give the Knicks another star to put next to Jalen Brunson, while also addressing a need at power forward alongside Karl-Anthony Towns. It also comes with a real basketball logic to it, especially in a league where repeating has become rare. The NBA has gone eight straight years without back-to-back champions, with the Golden State Warriors the last team to do it from 2017 to 2018.
The proposed deal sends Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, a 2027 second-round pick via Washington, and a 2033 first-round pick to New Orleans. In return, the Knicks would get Williamson and Yves Missi.
For the Pelicans, the appeal is straightforward: they’d get two legitimate rotation pieces who could help them push for a playoff spot in the West in 2027, plus future draft capital in 2027 and 2033. For New York, the return is the bigger swing - another high-end scorer and a young center in Missi.
There’s another layer here too. The move would also help the Knicks move further away from the second apron, which matters as they try to keep building around their current core.
Williamson’s availability remains the biggest question, and it’s impossible to ignore. Injuries have followed him before, but he did play 62 games last season, the second-highest total of his six-year career. Even so, his career numbers tell the larger story: out of a possible 492 games, he has played in only 276.
So yes, it’s a gamble. But it’s also the kind of gamble that makes sense if New York believes the ceiling is worth the risk. And for a 26-year-old who may need a reset, a stage like Madison Square Garden could be exactly the kind of fresh start that changes the conversation.
In Other News...
Mike Breen Identified What Defined The Knicks Under Finals Pressure
Mike Breen stepped into the SNY broadcast booth during a Mets game and used the moment to reflect on the Knicks championship path, zeroing in on the mental side of their 2026 NBA Finals run. What stood out to him was how the group handled pressure as a unit, with playoff-tested veterans and willing role players helping the Knicks absorb the stress of an NBA Finals stage that can rattle even the most talented teams.
Across the first two games against the San Antonio Spurs, New York had to play from behind and still found a way to settle in and make winning plays late. Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart each had their turns carrying the load, but Breens point was broader than any one performance: the Knicks title push was built on collective sacrifice, and that showed up every time the game started tilting the wrong way. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Veteran Big Search Just Got More Interesting In Portland
Portlands backcourt depth took a serious hit with Shaedon Sharpe expected to miss six months because of a torn meniscus, and that kind of injury ripple can alter more than just the rotation. For a Blazers team already juggling its roster, the pressure now falls on the front office to make sure every spot is doing real work, especially after claiming center Micah Potter off waivers.
Potters situation is the one worth watching from a Knicks perspective. Portland is over capacity and already has two centers ahead of him, which could make him the odd man out if the Blazers need to clear room elsewhere. If he becomes available, New York has reason to look closely, because the Knicks still have a need for a veteran big man. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Suddenly Look Like A Real Landing Spot For Kelly Olynyk
Kelly Olynyk is still on the market, and the pool of obvious landing spots has narrowed after Golden State used its final roster openings elsewhere. That leaves the veteran big man weighing a familiar kind of late-summer uncertainty, with a handful of teams still in the mix and the chance of a standard contract looking slimmer by the day.
The Knicks, though, suddenly stand out as a place where Olynyk could actually compete for a spot rather than simply wait for one to open up. A training-camp invite or another non-guaranteed arrangement would give New York a low-risk look at a player who could fit into its center depth, and for Olynyk it would create a real path to stick around if he can make the case on the floor. [Read more 🡒]