Bill Simmons is putting on his fortune teller’s hat once again.
In a recent episode of his self-titled podcast, The Ringer CEO Simmons offered a major prediction about the New York Knicks. Simmons said that he is “guarantee[ing]” that the Knicks will land one of Donovan Mitchell, Giannis Antetokounmpo, or Joel Embiid within a year’s time.
“They will get one of those three guys, I guarantee,” said Simmons of the Knicks, per SI. “Giannis, Embiid, or Mitchell will be on that team a year from now.”
Indeed, there is already smoke with all three stars when it comes to the Knicks. Mitchell was heavily linked to them last summer before he was dealt to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the fact remains that he is a New York native with a well-known fondness for the area. Antetokounmpo, meanwhile, said recently that he will not extend his contract with the Milwaukee Bucks if he does not like the direction they are headed in. The Knicks have already been named as a team that supposedly interests Antetokounmpo.
But where things really get interesting is with Embiid. The Philadelphia 76ers are in upheaval right now amid a coaching change (going from Doc Rivers to Nick Nurse) and James Harden, Embiid’s co-star, openly pushing for a move out of Philly. If Embiid ever requests for a trade from the 76ers himself, the Knicks just might be in pole position. They have high-value youngsters like RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Mitchell Robinson, and Quentin Grimes to dangle in a potential trade package. Some key Knicks figures also already have close relationships with Embiid.
As for Simmons, he is extremely well-connected when it comes to the NBA and very often gets this type of stuff right. You may recall that he absolutely nailed his prediction about a different team around this same time last year.
