Leon Rose Incredibly Transformed Knicks Starting Lineup In Just Five Years

Leon Rose pulled off not one, but two massive trades this offseason, landing Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges for the Knicks as they look to retool their roster and make a real push for the NBA championship. Comparing their potential 2024-25 lineup to their 2019-20 lineup, the difference is night and day.

In 2019-20, the Knicks' starting lineup was Elfrid Payton, RJ Barrett, Maurice Harkless, Julius Randle, and Taj Gibson. Compare that to now, the Knicks' potential starting lineup for the new season features Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Karl-Anthony Towns.

This was by no means an overnight process, as Rose had to work for years to pull off these signings and trades. It all started in 2022 when the Knicks were able to sign Jalen Brunson in free agency for four years, $104 million. Brunson was the first major signing the Knicks were able to pull off.

Next came Josh Hart, whom the Knicks traded for in February of 2023, sending Cam Reddish, Ryan Arcidiacono, Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, and draft picks to the Trail Blazers in return.

In December of 2023, the Knicks traded RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and a second-round draft pick to land OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, and Malachi Flynn. This move was seen as Rose making the first major move to make the Knicks contenders.

The last two moves happened most recently, with Mikal Bridges, along with Kieta-Bates Diop being traded to the Knicks, with the Nets receiving Bojan Bogdanovic, Shake Milton, Mamadi Diakate, five first-round picks, a first-round pick swap, and a second-round pick in return.

And the final piece of the puzzle was Karl-Anthony Towns, for whom the Knicks traded Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and a first-round pick to the Timberwolves. Over the course of 20 months, Leon Rose made key moves to make the Knicks one of the best teams in the entire NBA.

The Knicks Are Favorites To Win The NBA Championship

These moves undoubtedly put the Knicks one step closer to the NBA championship. Prior to the Towns trade, the Knicks were a strong team with a glaring weakness at the center position. They lost Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency, as he chose to sign with the Oklahoma City Thunder in a three-year, $87 million deal.

On top of that, Mitchell Robinson's injury concerns made him unreliable. So trading for Towns made a lot of sense for them, as it gives them an option at center, who can then move to power forward when Robinson is fit and available to play. The trade for Towns has ensured that the Knicks are now strong at every position.

With a solid scoring point guard, three elite wing defenders in Hart, Bridges, and Anunoby, and an All-Star caliber center in Towns who has improved significantly on defense, the Knicks now have a roster that can compete with the Celtics and the 76ers, the other two favorites in the East.

Could the Knicks end their 52-year drought of not winning an NBA championship next season? They probably have the best chance to do so for the first time since the 90s. But this roster will have to perform at a high level for them to be able to do so.