Knicks Trade Target: Paul George

Leading up to Thursday’s draft, the Knicks had preliminary conversations with the Los Angeles Clippers about trading for All-Star guard Paul George. George, 33, could be a good fit for the Knicks as they look to find a player to elevate them to a championship contender in the Eastern Conference.

The Fit

Paul George would be an excellent for the Knicks. He would compliment Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle in a big way on both ends of the floor. He would also improve the Knicks defensively, you’d obviously still hand matchups like Donovan Mitchell or Jayson Tatum to Quentin Grimes, but George would instantly become a top ~3 defender on the Knicks. Offensively he could be the best fit to help elevate Randle and Brunson, playing well off-ball and spacing the floor, he could help elevate the Knicks to a true championship contender.

The Package

The package it would take to acquire Paul George likely wouldn’t be as giant as the packages for Donovan Mitchell, or Kevin Durant. However it would still take a decent amount to get a deal done, and here is what I think the deal could look like:

Knicks Receive: G/F Paul George

Clippers Recieve: G/F RJ Barrett, G Evan Fournier, F Obi Toppin, 2024 First Round Pick (Via Dallas, Top 10 Protected), 2024 First Round Pick (Via Washington, Top 12 Protected)

Though a fairly steep package, RJ Barrett could be someone the Clippers covet in this deal. Toppin’s inclusion will likely be part of his agents and the Knicks looking for a better situation for him. This package would not send the clippers into a full rebuild, as they get 3 quality NBA players to inject more youth alongside Kawhi Leonard.

Why Paul George?

The Knicks would likely have a better chance at making a run at Paul George than other available players. Zach LeVine’s agency reportedly doesn’t want him to play for the Knicks. Karl Anthony-Towns isn’t a player that the Knicks would target mainly due to the contract. At this point we don’t know if players like Joel Embiid will become available, i’d lean towards that they wouldn’t, and the Knicks would rather get George at this point. He’d be a great fit on this team and I think he definitely elevates them to a top 3 team in the East and a top 5 team in all of the NBA.