The start of the season was a day away and, after all of the talk of continuity and calm at Madison Square Garden, the smooth sail into opening night was interrupted by a rumor that surfaced regarding the Knicks making three of their starters available in a trade for Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid.
This is the latest in a line of rumors involving star players — Donovan Mitchell, Karl-Anthony Towns, Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo and whoever else might have crossed paths at some point with Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau or team president Leon Rose or even commented that they like Madison Square Garden. And, at some point, the Knicks will be all-in on a deal for a star. But this one, on this day, is neither the right time nor place.
“What’s Thibs’ favorite line?” Jalen Brunson said on Tuesday. “We don’t deal with hypotheticals. I think I’m gonna say that every time.”
While it is not a closely guarded secret that the Knicks are monitoring the league for the next superstar to shake loose, having piled up assets to be able to make an offer when that time comes, this one seemed, like so many others, to be more smoke than fire. The deal, reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer, claimed that the Knicks had let the 76ers know that they’d offer up a combination of any three players among Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson and Evan Fournier as well as multiple draft picks.
Rose, who has overseen the accumulation of the assets, was once Embiid’s agent in his former career. So there is no surprise that the connection is made between the two and it’s reasonable conjecture to think that Embiid may want to force Philadelphia’s hand at some point. The 76ers are in an uncertain spot, with James Harden remaining away from the team as he hopes for his own trade out of town.
“That’s for you guys,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “You know, it’s all rumors. That’s part of the NBA now. Obviously, we’re not dealing with any hypotheticals. We…
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