If Knicks are angling for a star player, who could he be?

New York's 146-122 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday made it clear the Knicks (12-8) need another star to make a deep playoff run. 

Jalen Brunson (24.9 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 5.6 APG) and Julius Randle (21.5 PPG, 10 RPG, 5.5 APG) are All-Star-caliber players, but neither is good enough to lead a team to an NBA title. 

New York could use young players RJ Barrett (23 years old), Immanuel Quickley (24) and Quentin Grimes (23) as trade bait. Adding in Evan Fournier ($18.9 million in 2023-24, per Spotrac) would help match salaries in a deal. 

The question is: What star will be available?

The Knicks have been linked to Karl-Anthony Towns of the surging Minnesota Timberwolves and Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Towns would fit nicely with his three-point shooting (41.8%) from the center or power forward position, spreading the floor for Brunson and Randle in ways Mitchell Robinson cannot. The Timberwolves, however, have the NBA's best record (15-4), so trading Towns doesn't make sense now.

Mitchell, though, would be a perfect fit alongside Brunson in New York's backcourt, and with the Cavaliers (11-9) unexpectedly floating near .500, Cleveland may listen to trade offers. 

The Knicks are a good defensive team, ranking seventh in defensive rating (110.8), but their offense struggles at times. They rank 11th in offensive rating (115) but 28th in field-goal percentage (44.7%). (Defensive rating is the number of points allowed per 100 possessions; offensive rating is the number of points scored per 100 possessions.)

New York's offensive rating, in part, is because of Robinson's offensive rebounding prowess. He leads the league with 5.4 offensive rebounds per game. The extra scoring chances he creates allow the Knicks to score at a decent rate despite poor shooting percentages. 

Mitchell is among the league's top scorers (27.1 PPG) and would immediately help the Knicks score more efficiently. His three-point shooting has dropped from 38.6% last season to 34.4% this season, but with only 15 games played, that number could rise with a few good shooting outings. 

Mitchell's ability to draw the attention of defenses would allow Brunson and Randle to get better shots. That's especially true for Randle, who is known to force bad shots.

The addition of Mitchell would also give the Knicks their best chance to win during Randle's five-year tenure with the team. Per oddschecker, New York is far down the list of Eastern Conference title contenders.  

The Knicks don't need to force a trade for a star, but to capture their first NBA championship since 1973, the addition of a player such as Mitchell is essential.