Part of the Knicks fan offseason experience for the better part of the last two decades has been to fantasize about acquiring star talent. This has led to countless NBA Trade Machine screenshots and photoshopped jersey swaps of players in orange and blue.

Coming off their best finish in two decades that saw the team two games away from a Finals appearance, a rational person might expect that the flame of those desires would reduce to embers. And yet, it has only increased, as the sense of urgency to win a championship has elevated. This offseason, we have seen the Knicks mentioned as a potential trade destination for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James.

Last season, while making an appearance on “The Roommates Show” with Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, Knicks owner James Dolan suggested that trading for Karl-Anthony Towns was the "last piece” in the puzzle of making this team a true title contender. Yet despite these comments, it seems that there is still an appetite for a shakeup. Let’s discuss why it may be time to move past yearning for the unknown and focus on the road ahead with this Knicks team.

For so long, the norm for the Knicks has been to have an excellent player, but not one in the upper echelon of the NBA. Patrick Ewing and Carmelo Anthony were incredible, but they weren’t Michael Jordan or LeBron James, for instance. When it seemed that the Knicks would get Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, they instead ended up with Julius Randle and RJ Barrett. It seems that for so long, the lot in a Knicks fan’s life was to be just a step short of the truly great superstars in the NBA.

As a result, we have been programmed to yearn for the unattainable. To wish for the player that would fill our daydreams of dominating at the Garden. The desire for both Durant and James in that sense feels like the fulfillment of a prophecy that seemed destined but never manifested. The craving for Antetokounmpo is grasping for the MVP-caliber superstar that would lead the team to the promised land.

This all made sense when the team was winning 29 games a season and hoping that every lottery pick would turn into something special. But now the team is in a different stratosphere and employs a different level of talent. Jalen Brunson has received MVP votes in every season he’s been a Knick, and Karl-Anthony Towns is a perpetual All-NBA performer. OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges are regarded as two of the better two-way wings in the NBA, and Mitchell Robinson is arguably the league's best offensive rebounder.

The trio of star players that were mentioned are not perfect catch-all solutions. Giannis, despite his sheer force, has been ousted in the first round for three consecutive years and has yet to develop a reliable jump shot. James and Durant are both on the back nine of their careers and are not the same magnetic forces as they were a decade ago. While incredibly appealing, they also aren’t a sure thing to win a title (because a sure thing doesn’t truly exist).

The somewhat bigger point in all of this is that it often goes forgotten that this team was assembled shortly before training camp and still made it to the Conference Finals. Teams that are assembled in that manner need some time to mesh to truly determine how successful they will be. Having a full offseason with new head coach Mike Brown to develop even more on-court chemistry is the logical next step.

Throwing a big trade in the mix that will reset the chemistry clock all over again feels contrary to the character of this organization under Leon Rose. Beyond that, the current NBA landscape has essentially told teams that making these huge splashy trades is not the golden ticket it once was. The current iteration of the NBA requires a formula of depth and health, which would be compromised by many of these fan trades that we see on Twitter.

In some sense, the Eastern Conference heading into the 25-26 NBA season is reminiscent of 1994 when Michael Jordan retired for the first time. The last two NBA finalists from the East (Indiana and Boston) are dealing with season-long injuries to their star players, creating a window of opportunity for the Knicks.

The Bucks, while still retaining Giannis, have also been weakened by the injury and subsequent waiving of Damian Lillard, lacking true backcourt options to pair with Giannis and the newly acquired Myles Turner. The Philadelphia 76ers are a mess with the unsure health of both Joel Embiid and Paul George. The Detroit Pistons after an impressive resurgent campaign didn’t get much of a talent upgrade this offseason.

The true contenders alongside the Knicks in this conference are the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic, both teams who added solid pieces to their rosters this offseason (Lonzo Ball in Cleveland and Desmond Bane in Orlando). And even they have their flaws and question marks heading into next season. The East, as a result, is incredibly wide open.

The Knicks, as a team with continuity and a fresh vision at the head coach position, are incredibly well-suited to make a run. They have two top-20 talents in Brunson and Towns, and arguably two other top-50 talents in Anunoby and Bridges. They added Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele to the bench to bolster their depth, something that Oklahoma City showed us is essential to building a title contender in 2025.

Acquiring Giannis would require sacrificing Towns and likely one of the wings, creating depth issues all over again. The dreams of Durant (before he was acquired by Houston) or James would also require some substantial movement of key role players. It simply is not the smartest course of action in today’s NBA.

The Knicks have never been in a better position than they are now to contend for an NBA championship. The East is weakened, they have what appears to be the requisite depth to withstand the attrition of an NBA season, and they have two star players that can score with the best of them.

This moment is one of reality, not fantasy. The Knicks at times seemed that they sleepwalked their way to the Conference Finals last year due to their lack of flow and chemistry. Another year of continuity likely fixes that with the addition of a fresh coaching philosophy. We have moved past the moment of fantasizing and wondering about what-ifs. Instead, it’s time to think about realistically contending for a title with the team that has been assembled.