Last week, the Knicks executed an interesting trade before the NBA Draft. From the surface, it had the feel of a “typical Knicks trade.” In the trade, the Knicks got the biggest name, but that name has a huge question mark next to it. Previously, it was Antonio Mcdyess, Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis, Amar’e Stoudemire (free agent), and now that name is Derrick Rose.

After a deeper dive, however, this trade is far from typical and helps the Knicks fill in the gaps of their championship puzzle. For once, they did not trade any draft picks and actually obtained a 2017 2nd-round draft pick. That never happens. It is usually the Knicks giving away picks as if they are a part of a promotional giveaway. The Knicks received the type of point guard that they haven’t had in over a decade: a playmaker that can slash to the basket and keep the defense on their toes. This should help free up Carmelo from constantly seeing double teams. And to get this type of player, the Knicks did not give up much.

Don’t get me wrong, Robin Lopez is a really good piece. But it is not the type of piece that takes you to the next level. Jose Calderon is at the tail end of his career, and Jerian Grant did not seem to impress the Knicks enough because he did not even get to start at the end of the season when it was clear the Knicks were out of playoff contention. But the biggest reason for the Knicks making this deal is that Rose has an expiring contract. He has one year left on his deal, which frees up more cap space at the end of next year. This becomes a low risk-high reward gamble.

Regardless of how Rose plays, the Knicks cannot re-sign Rose. There is another elite point guard that is a free agent next year, and would be easily a top 3 point guard in the East. His name is Russell Westbrook. I see Rose and his contract as a placeholder, to ensure the Knicks don’t spend that money elsewhere. But, that piece is part of next year’s puzzle.

With Rose, Carmelo, and Porzingis, the Knicks have a respectable big 3, especially in a weaker East Conference. As long as Rose stays healthy, the Knicks just became instant playoff contenders. But where do the Knicks go from here? Beside those 3, the Knicks have Kyle O’Quinn and Justin Holiday, who came over in the Rose deal, as the only other players under contract. There are a lot of rumblings that since the Rose deal, Kevin Durant will now sit down with the Knicks for a meeting. Durant is the big name this year, and he’ll make any team better. Durant and Rose are good buddies, and so are Durant and Carmelo. And as we have seen in the NBA over the last 5 years or so, stars want to play with other stars. However, Durant does not make sense for the Knicks. The answers to the Knicks problems is not Durant, but it lies somewhere else.

As deadly as the Knicks would be with Durant, I just don’t see the fit for him here. The Knicks would be too offense-heavy with too many players that need the ball to score. There is only one basketball to go around, and one player scoring takes too many shots away from the other player(s). It is a nice problem to have, but being too offense-heavy doesn’t give you a complete puzzle. Rose, Carmelo, and Durant aren’t known for their defensive prowess either. In crunch time when you need stops, you cannot rely on any of them to get the big clutch stops, like Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, or LeBron James would for their teams.

So if Durant is not the answer, then what is? The Knicks have too many open roster spots to spend almost all of their free cap space on one player who does not help them complete the puzzle. The Knicks need to balance their roster and get starters that can contribute instantly. The missing puzzle pieces are still shooting guard and defense and this is where the Knicks should target to use their cap space.