The New York Knicks continue to be linked to Chris Paul, with reports that the team wants to acquire the soon to be 35-year-old point guard. Many in the Knicks organization believe he will bring a winning culture to the team.
The problem is the Knicks have done this over and over with faded former stars and have not had success. The Knicks have not had a long-term point guard over the last 20 years and multiple times they tried to bring in aging stars as the solution.
Jason Kidd, Baron Davis and Mike Bibby all spent the final season of their career with New York. None had much success. Chauncey Billups also briefly played with the Knicks near the end of his career after he was acquired along with Carmelo Anthony. He was 34 had the time and got injured in the postseason.
Tracy McGrady spent 24 games with the Knicks in the 2009-10 season, averaging 9.4 points per game, and failing to make a difference on the court for New York.
Center Rasheed Wallace came out of retirement to play for the Knicks in 2012-13 but only played 21 games that season due to injuries. Marcus Camby also returned to the Knicks in 2012-13 for the final season of his career.
The Knicks also signed Joakim Noah to a disastrous four-year, $72 million contract ahead of the 2016-17 season. At the time he was 31. He would play just 53 games with New York, averaging 4.6 points per game before getting waived.
The Knicks have said they are finally planning to rebuild after winning just one playoff series in the last 20 seasons. They have also failed to make the playoffs since 2012-13.
Still, if the rumors are true, Chris Paul could be the next veteran who spends the end of his career playing with the Knicks. Time will tell if New York will finally stay patient and rebuild around young players like RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson, or if they will once again make a move for an aging star.