Knicks Notes: Kessler, Bridges, Roster, Rotation, Hart

Before reaching a deal with Minnesota to acquire Karl-Anthony Towns, the Knicks made “multiple” runs at Jazz center Walker Kessler, league sources tell NBA reporter Marc Stein (Substack link).

According to Stein, the belief is that Utah sought at least two first-round picks in a deal for Kessler, who was repeatedly linked to New York earlier in the offseason. The Knicks theoretically could have met that price, but it would have cost them their last two remaining tradable first-rounders (the Pistons’ and Wizards’ protected picks). They also could have offered one or more pick swaps.

It’s unclear if the Jazz didn’t like the first-rounders the Knicks had left to trade (both could turn into second-round picks if they continue to fall in their protected range) or if New York opted against meeting Utah’s asking price.

Either way, the Knicks ended up pivoting to a bigger deal for Towns. That blockbuster involved a couple key rotation players in Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, but allowed the Knicks to keep one of their remaining tradable first-rounders — they still have the Wizards’ top-10 protected 2025 pick after sending Detroit’s first-rounder to the Timberwolves.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

• Within the same Substack article, Stein confirms that Knicks forward Mikal Bridges plans to wait until after the 2024/25 season to work on a contract extension with his new team. ESPN’s Bobby Marks recently reported that Bridges would likely postpone extension talks because he can’t sign for more than $61MM over two years at this time due to extend-and-trade rules. During the 2025 offseason, he could get up to approximately $156MM over four years.
• James L. Edwards III of The Athletic takes a closer look at what the Knicks’ opening night roster and fall rotation might look like, predicting that Landry Shamet and Ariel Hukporti will earn the final two spots on the “15-man” roster, which only actually has room for 14 players due to hard cap limitations. With Mitchell Robinson expected to be sidelined until at least December, Edwards anticipates that Miles McBride, Shamet, Precious Achiuwa, and Jericho Sims will be the top reserves behind the starters, with Cameron Payne as the 10th man.
• As an aside, it’s worth noting that while teams are generally required to carry at least 14 players on standard contracts during the regular season, the Knicks don’t necessarily have to reach that threshold by opening night. Clubs can carry just 12 or 13 players for up to 14 days at a time and for as many as 28 total days during the season. So New York could wait until two weeks into the season to promote Hukporti (or Kevin McCullar) to a standard contract.
• Knicks forward Josh Hart saw increased responsibilities on offense during the 2024 postseason due to a series of injuries affecting the roster, but with Bridges and Towns in the mix, he’s prepared to take a step back on that end of the court and let the club’s more accomplished scorers shine, as Stefan Bondy of The New York Post writes. “At the end of the day, my job isn’t to go out there and score 20. It’s not to go out there and force things offensively and try to make things happen,” Hart said. “My job is to rebound, defend at a high level, offensively kind of be a connector, get into the lane and find guys for open shots, get the rebound, push the pace and get us easy transition buckets. … At the end of the day, I don’t think any team’s won without several people sacrificing. If that’s me sacrificing points, I will gladly do that.”