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NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: New York Knicks

September 6th, 2024 at 2:29pm CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is checking in on the 2024 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, recapping the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll take a look at each team’s offseason moves and consider what might still be coming before the regular season begins. Today, we’re focusing on the New York Knicks.

Free agent signings

  • OG Anunoby: Five years, $212,500,000. Fifth-year player option. Includes 15% trade kicker. Re-signed using Bird rights.
  • Precious Achiuwa: One year, $6,000,000. Re-signed using Bird rights. Waived right to veto trade.
  • Cameron Payne: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Chuma Okeke: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.

Trades

  • Acquired the draft rights to Dillon Jones (No. 26 pick) and the No. 51 pick in the 2024 draft from the Wizards in exchange for the draft rights to Kyshawn George (No. 24 pick).
  • Acquired either the Celtics’ or Grizzlies’ 2025 second-round pick (whichever is more favorable); the Warriors’ 2026 second-round pick; the Timberwolves’ 2027 second-round pick; either the Thunder’s, Rockets’, Heat’s, or Pacers’ 2027 second-round pick (whichever is second-most favorable), and either the Thunder’s, Rockets’, Heat’s, or Pacers’ 2027 second-round pick (whichever is third-most favorable) from the Thunder in exchange for the draft rights to Dillon Jones (No. 26 pick).
  • Acquired the draft rights to Tyler Kolek (No. 34 pick) from the Trail Blazers in exchange for the Timberwolves’ 2027 second-round pick; either the Pacers’ or Wizards’ 2029 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable); and the Knicks’ 2030 second-round pick.
  • Acquired the draft rights to Ariel Hukporti (No. 58 pick), the draft rights to Petteri Koponen, and cash ($1MM) from the Mavericks in exchange for the draft rights to Melvin Ajinca (No. 51 pick).
  • Acquired the draft rights to Oso Ighodaro (No. 40 pick) and cash ($500K) from the Thunder in exchange for the draft rights to Ajay Mitchell (No. 38 pick).
  • Acquired the draft rights to Kevin McCullar (No. 56 pick) and the Celtics’ 2028 second-round pick (top-45 protected) from the Suns in exchange for the draft rights to Oso Ighodaro (No. 40 pick).
  • Acquired Mikal Bridges, Keita Bates-Diop, the draft rights to Juan Pablo Vaulet, and either the Pistons’, Bucks’, or Magic’s 2026 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable) from the Nets in exchange for Bojan Bogdanovic, Shake Milton (sign-and-trade), Mamadi Diakite, the Knicks’ 2025 first-round pick, the Bucks’ 2025 first-round pick (top-four protected), the Knicks’ 2027 first-round pick, the Knicks’ 2029 first-round pick, the Knicks’ 2031 first-round pick, the right to swap a 2028 first-round pick (the Nets’ or the Suns’; whichever is most favorable) for the Knicks’ 2028 first-round pick, and the Nets’ 2025 second-round pick.

Draft picks

  • 1-25: Pacome Dadiet
    • Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $13,012,968).
  • 2-34: Tyler Kolek
    • Signed to four-year, $9,062,682 contract. First three years guaranteed. Fourth-year team option.
  • 2-56: Kevin McCullar
    • Signed to two-way contract.
  • 2-58: Ariel Hukporti
    • Signed to two-way contract.

Two-way signings

Departed/unsigned free agents

Other moves

  • Signed Jalen Brunson to a three-year, $156,549,124 veteran extension that begins in 2025/26. Includes fourth-year player option and 15% trade kicker.
  • Exercised Jericho Sims‘ 2024/25 team option ($2,092,344).

Salary cap situation

  • Operating over the cap ($140.6MM), over the luxury tax line ($170.8MM), and between the first tax apron ($178.1MM) and second tax apron ($188.9MM).
  • Carrying approximately $179.2MM in salary.
  • Hard-capped at $188,931,000.
  • Taxpayer mid-level exception ($5.2MM) available.
  • Two traded player exceptions frozen/unavailable (largest worth $5,241,072).

The offseason so far

Considered a potential landing spot for top free agents and trade candidates for several seasons, the Knicks managed to climb up the Eastern Conference standings in recent years without ever swinging a major deal for a star.

Their biggest free agent addition during that time, Jalen Brunson, has evolved into an All-NBA player in New York, but that was far from a given when he signed in 2022 — to that point, he only had one season as a full-time starter under his belt and had posted a career average of 11.9 points per game. The Knicks’ biggest trade during that same time period, made midway through the 2023/24 season for OG Anunoby, didn’t involve a single outgoing first-round pick.

If not for injuries to key players like Anunoby, Julius Randle, and Mitchell Robinson, among others, the Knicks had a real shot to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2024. They nearly made it anyway, taking the Pacers to seven games in the Eastern Semifinals after winning 50 regular season games for just the second time since 2000.

With the club on the verge of title contention, the time was right this offseason for the Knicks to finally take their big swing and cash in some of those first-round picks they’d been hoarding. They struck a deal with the Nets to acquire Mikal Bridges in exchange for a package that featured four unprotected first-round picks, a fifth lightly protected first-rounder, and a first-round pick swap.

It was a stunning move for multiple reasons. For one, the Knicks and Nets are unlikely trade partners — the two New York clubs hadn’t made a deal with one another since 1983.

Bridges wasn’t widely considered to be available, since the Nets didn’t control their 2025 or 2026 first-round selections and appeared more inclined to build around the forward than to bottom out to increase the value of lottery picks they didn’t own. But at the same time they sent Bridges to New York, the Nets reached a separate agreement with Houston to regain control of their ’25 and ’26 picks, setting them up to rebuild in earnest over the next year or two.

It was also a substantial price to pay for a player who has never made an All-Star team or won a major NBA award. The price wasn’t far off from the one Minnesota paid for Rudy Gobert in 2022 — that package included more useful veterans (Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley) than what the Knicks gave up (Bojan Bogdanovic, Shake Milton), but the draft-pick compensation the Jazz received (three unprotected first-round picks, one lightly protected first-rounder, the rights to No. 22 pick Walker Kessler, and a first-round swap) was nearly identical.

Although the Bridges acquisition was a surprising one, it made perfect sense for the Knicks in many respects. Most of the other trade candidates linked to New York in recent years – such as Donovan Mitchell and Karl-Anthony Towns – were big-time scorers who wouldn’t help much on defense, making them questionable fits on a roster coached by Tom Thibodeau. Bridges, on the other hand, is a two-way force who has hovered around 20 points per game for the past two seasons, has knocked down 37.5% of his career three-point attempts, and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2022.

Acquiring Bridges also allowed the Knicks to add to their set of Villanova alumni — like new teammates Brunson, Josh Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo, Bridges played for the Wildcats from 2015-17. All four players were on the 2016 championship roster, while Brunson, DiVincenzo, and Bridges won a second national title in 2018. Whether that Villanova connection actually improves the Knicks’ title odds is up for debate, but having a group of long-time friends who genuinely like each other certainly helped create good vibes in New York last season. Bridges’ arrival should only help in that regard.

As steep a price as the Knicks paid to acquire Bridges, the team hasn’t yet fully exhausted its cache of draft assets, so another smaller move or two isn’t out of the question. Plus, if they were going to splurge on anyone, it makes sense for the Knicks to do so on a player on a team-friendly contract who comes with little to no fit concerns.

After agreeing to trade for Bridges, New York re-signed his new partner on the wing, Anunoby, to an eye-popping five-year, $212.5MM contract. The move gives the Knicks two of the NBA’s top three-and-D players, putting them in a great position to match up with a defending-champion Celtics team led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

It’s a high price to pay for an oft-injured player like Anunoby, who has missed 29, 34, 15, and 32 games in the past four regular seasons and was hurt again in the second round of the playoffs. His impact, which goes far beyond his scoring output, is so significant that if he manages to play 65-70 games per season for the next few years, the investment will be worthwhile, but it’s a risky one.

The fact that the Knicks were able to lock up Brunson to a below-market contract extension (four years, $156.5MM) on the heels of his fifth-place finish in MVP voting helps offset the high price the club paid to retain Anunoby. Both players are now under contract through at least 2027/28, with player options for ’28/29, and while Anunoby will earn higher salaries than Brunson for the next four years, the overall price the club will pay for the duo is a reasonable one.

While Brunson was the only Knicks player to receive an extension this summer, the team also completed a new long-term deal with Thibodeau, who was set to enter the final year of his existing contract. Thibodeau has his share of critics who argue his tendency to lean too heavily on certain players leads to injuries, but it’d be hard to claim he hasn’t gotten the most out of his rosters during the past couple years, deftly navigating those injury issues to keep the Knicks competitive.

The Knicks also made several minor moves in the draft and free agency to fill out their roster, re-signing Precious Achiuwa, adding Cameron Payne, and drafting Pacome Dadiet and Tyler Kolek.

It wasn’t all good news in New York though, as the club’s spending limitations prevented a new deal with Isaiah Hartenstein, the backup center who became the starter for much of the season due to Robinson’s health problems.

Because they only held Hartenstein’s Early Bird rights, the Knicks were limited to offering approximately $72.5MM for four years, and not quite all of that money would’ve been guaranteed. New York put its best offer on the table, but the Thunder topped it with a three-year, $87MM bid that included nearly $60MM in guaranteed money over the first two seasons. The Knicks’ offer included only about $30MM in guaranteed salary during those same two years.

It’s a significant loss for the Knicks, who benefited greatly from Hartenstein’s defensive versatility and rim-protecting ability, as well as his screening and play-making on offense. Robinson is a very good rim-runner and defender who is more athletic than Hartenstein, but he has dealt with injuries in recent years and isn’t the type of player who can be relied upon for 30 to 35 minutes per night (his career high is 27.5 MPG). His offensive game is somewhat limited too, as he’s not much of a shooter or passer.

Achiuwa, Randle, and Jericho Sims will soak up some minutes at center during the regular season, and the Knicks can probably get by with those options for a while, but it’s safe to assume the team will remain on the lookout for a more reliable and more traditional backup center after failing to land one this offseason.

Up next

As detailed above, the hunt for a backup center figures to continue into the fall — and potentially well into the regular season if no good options materialize in the next month-and-a-half.

Although New York still has its full taxpayer mid-level exception ($5.2MM) available, there are no free agent centers still on the market who warrant more than minimum-salary investments, so barring a surprise preseason cut, a trade will likely be necessary to address the position. The Knicks can freely aggregate players’ contracts in a trade, but can’t take back more salary than they send out.

The Knicks have an open spot on their projected 15-man regular season roster, but may keep it open to maximize their flexibility. That would line them up to bring in a 15th man later if one of their two-way players emerges, injuries necessitate an acquisition at a specific position, or they simply want to add more depth.

Randle isn’t the only extension-eligible player on the roster (Robinson or Sims are also in that group), but he’s certainly the most noteworthy one. He holds a player option for the 2025/26 season, giving him an opportunity to reach unrestricted free agency next July.

Obviously the Knicks won’t want to lose Randle for nothing, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they take extension talks into the season and wait to see how the three-time All-Star looks coming off shoulder surgery as part of the new-look rotation. He could sign a new contract at any time until June 30 as long as he declines his player option as part of the deal (up until October 21, he could exercise the option as part of an extension), so there should be no rush from the team’s perspective.

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2024/25 NBA Over/Unders: Atlantic Division

September 4th, 2024 at 9:18am CST by Luke Adams

With the 2024/25 NBA regular season set to tip off next month, we’re getting serious about predictions for the upcoming campaign and continuing an annual Hoops Rumors tradition.

With the help of the lines from a series of sports betting sites – including Bovada and BetOnline – we’re running through the predicted win totals for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division. In a series of team-by-team polls, you’ll get the chance to weigh in on whether you think those forecasts are too optimistic or too pessimistic.

In 2023/24, our voters went 16-14 on their over/under picks. Can you top that in ’24/25?

We’ll begin our series today with the Atlantic Division…

Boston Celtics

New York Knicks

Philadelphia 76ers

Toronto Raptors

Brooklyn Nets

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Cuban Apologizes To Jalen Brunson

September 1st, 2024 at 6:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder
  • Mavericks former majority owner Mark Cuban apologized to Jalen Brunson for a perceived jab at the Knicks guard over Brunson’s 2022 free agency, Peter Botte of the New York Post relays. The exchange between Cuban and Brunson occurred during The Roommates podcast (video link). Cuban said in April 2023 that negotiations to retain Brunson “went south, when (father Rick Brunson) took over, or the parents took over.” Brunson signed with the Knicks shortly after they hired his father as an assistant coach. “The only thing that I … didn’t like about the whole situation was when Mark said, ‘When the parents got involved, that’s when things got messy,’” Brunson said. “So that was the one thing that I was like, I kind of was like, ‘Damn that was a little jab.’” Cuban offered the following reply: “I apologize, if it put you in a certain way, that wasn’t the intention. But it was hard to deal with. It was a unique negotiation in a lot of different ways.”
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Community Shootaround: Who Can Take Down Boston In The East?

September 1st, 2024 at 4:29pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Celtics seem well-positioned to repeat as NBA champions in 2024/25.

After posting a league-best 64-18 regular season record, Boston blitzed the competition in the playoffs, going 16-3 en route to the franchise’s record 18th championship.

The reigning champs have retained all of their top rotation pieces, extending Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, and Sam Hauser this summer. In fact, 12 of Boston’s top 13 players from its 2023/24 vintage are back on this year’s roster. The only exception? Free agent forward Oshae Brissett has yet to sign anywhere, but has alluded to a possible Celtics return.

With a focus on vanquishing Boston, several other Eastern Conference contenders retooled significantly during the offseason.

The Sixers are of course the headliners of the offseason, having almost completely reconfigured their roster around incumbent All-Stars Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. Although Paul George was the big addition on a four-year, $211.6MM deal, Philadelphia president Daryl Morey also made some savvy role player signings, including forward Caleb Martin. But both Embiid and George have had some uniquely underwhelming postseason performances in recent years, and both are on the wrong side of 30 with growing injury histories. Can they keep it together in the playoffs when it matters most?

Last year’s No. 2 seed, the Knicks, saw their playoff run hampered by escalating injuries to much of their rotation. Although New York lost starting center Isaiah Hartenstein to the Thunder in free agency, the team made its own splash with a blockbuster trade for former All-Defensive swingman Mikal Bridges, acquiring him from the Nets.

Despite frequent trade rumors, the biggest offseason change for Cavaliers happened on their bench. Cleveland president Koby Altman jettisoned now-former head coach J.B. Bickerstaff after two consecutive playoff seasons as a top-four seed, replacing him with former Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson. The team is hoping for internal development from its four stars and more cohesion out of its other pieces.

As the No. 3 seed heading into the playoffs, the Bucks may have been upset by an Eastern Conference Finals-bound Pacers squad in the first round. But Milwaukee has a key asset Indiana does not: All-NBA power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, still very much in his prime. After trading to acquire All-Star point guard Damian Lillard late in the 2023 offseason, Milwaukee struggled to build out its depth around a pricey top six and underwent a mid-season coaching change. This year, however, the Bucks added several ring-chasing veterans on below-market deals. Will it be enough to get them deep into the playoffs again?

Indiana, to its credit, played the hand it was dealt, riding some injury luck to its first East Finals appearance in a decade. After an underwhelming Olympics run, wherein he did not play in Team USA’s gold medal game, could All-NBA point guard Tyrese Haliburton be due for a leap? Could newly re-signed forward Pascal Siakam develop more chemistry with the team’s longer-tenured stars after his first full offseason in Indiana?

We want to know what you think. Can anyone among the aforementioned crop best Boston and emerge out of the East? Will a spoiler with present talent and the assets to make a trade — perhaps the Magic or Heat — make a surprise run? Weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section below.

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26 NBA Teams Have Made At Least One Offseason Trade

August 29th, 2024 at 9:31am CST by Luke Adams

Since the NBA’s 2024 offseason began, 29 trades have been completed, as our tracker shows. A total of 26 teams have been involved in those 29 deals, with 20 clubs (two-thirds of the league) making multiple trades.

The defending champion Celtics are one of the four teams not to have made a trade this offseason, having been content to essentially run it back with the same group that went 16-3 in the postseason this past spring. The Bucks, Cavaliers, and Lakers also haven’t completed any deals since the season ended.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Knicks have been the most active team on the trade market, completing an eye-popping seven deals, two more than any other team.

Most of those trades were minor moves made during the draft — New York entered day one holding the 24th, 25th, and 38th overall picks, but ended up trading down in (or out of) the draft multiple times using the Nos. 24 and 38 selections, then acquired the No. 34 pick in a separate deal. Of course, the Knicks’ one non-draft trade was a big one, as they acquired Mikal Bridges from their cross-town rivals in Brooklyn.

Besides the Knicks, the Thunder were the most active team on the trade market this summer. They kicked off trade season by completing the first of this offseason’s 29 deals (acquiring Alex Caruso from Chicago) and then made four more, for a total of five. The Spurs and Trail Blazers made four trades apiece.

Here are some more details on this offseason’s deals:

  • The Nets, Hawks, Wizards, Mavericks, Pelicans, Timberwolves, Suns, and Warriors have each made three offseason trades, while the Raptors, Bulls, Pistons, Hornets, Grizzlies, Rockets, Nuggets, and Kings completed two apiece. That leaves the Sixers, Pacers, Heat, Magic, Jazz, and Clippers as the teams that have made just one trade.
  • A total of six 2024 first-round picks were traded this offseason, with one of those picks (No. 26) changing hands twice. The highest 2024 picks traded this summer were No. 8 (Rob Dillingham; Spurs to Timberwolves) and No. 14 (Carlton Carrington; Trail Blazers to Wizards).
  • Predictably, this year’s second-rounders were involved in far more trades than the first-rounders. Sixteen of the 28 second-round picks in the draft changed hands at least once since the offseason began, with four of those selections having been included in multiple deals — the No. 40 (Oso Ighodaro) and No. 52 (Quinten Post) picks were dealt three times, while Nos. 51 (Melvin Ajinca) and 56 (Kevin McCullar) were each moved twice.
  • A total of 12 future first-round picks and 30 future second-round picks changed hands in trades this offseason, along with six future first-round pick swaps and four future second-round swaps.
  • While some of those future traded picks included most/least favorable language, nearly all of them should convey as planned — only two traded first-rounders (and one swap) included any form of protection, and that protection was light (no more than top-four protected). Additionally, just three of the 30 traded second-rounders were protected.
  • Of the 29 trades made this offseason, 25 were straightforward two-team agreements. A pair of deals were three-teamers, one involved four teams, and one was the first six-team trade in NBA history.
  • A total of 29 veteran players on existing NBA contracts were traded this offseason, with two of those 29 players – Mamadi Diakite and E.J. Liddell – on the move twice and one of them – RaiQuan Gray – on a two-way deal. Another eight players were signed-and-traded, while an additional four players who were selected in a draft prior to 2024 draft had their NBA rights sent to new teams.
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Atlantic Notes: Knicks Storylines, Drummond, Tatum, Holiday

August 28th, 2024 at 5:59pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Following a 50-32 season in 2023/24, the Knicks underwent a couple significant changes this summer, acquiring All-Defensive Team swingman Mikal Bridges and losing center Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency. Ahead of training camp, Fred Katz of The Athletic reflects on some of the top storylines in New York, including All-Star forward Julius Randle‘s fit on the new-look squad, how All-NBA point guard Jalen Brunson will quarterback the club’s offense, and more.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

  • The Sixers reacquired reserve center Andre Drummond in free agency this summer. Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer spoke with Bulls beat reporter Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune about what to expect from the 6’11” big man, after he spent two years in the Windy City. Poe notes that Drummond, though a great rebounder, struggled to carve out a significant role behind starter Nikola Vucevic, in part due to his erratic rim protection and finishing efficiency.
  • Appearing at a Raising Cane’s event on Wednesday, Celtics combo guard Jrue Holiday discussed teammate Jayson Tatum‘s limited role for Team USA during the 2024 Olympics, per Souichi Terada of MassLive. “I think everybody knows JT — he’s the ultimate professional,” Holiday said. “He already knows what it is and what the ultimate goal is. I don’t think he needed any encouragement. I think it’s more so like staying ready whenever it’s his time to be called.” The All-Defensive Second Team guard had a bigger, more consistent role in the Paris games than Tatum did. Tatum was benched entirely during the Americans’ semifinal game against Serbia.
  • In case you missed it, former Knicks All-Star Carmelo Anthony recently revealed that New York offered him a bench role when he last hit free agency, in 2022.
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Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Anthony, Sixers, Thomas

August 27th, 2024 at 8:18pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Knicks are facing much higher expectations in 2024/25 than in most recent seasons, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post writes. New York is projected to finish second in the East by most sportsbooks after the team acquired Mikal Bridges via trade this offseason. Their over/under for regular season wins is set at 53.5 by BetMGM and FanDuel despite New York only surpassing 53 wins in a season once since 1997.

On top of adding Bridges, the Knicks are set to be healthier to open next season with Julius Randle back in the fold.

“It’s nice to hear that we’re contenders, but I think we have to go into training camp without having that word be spoken,” star guard Jalen Brunson said. “Obviously, I said I want to get past the second round after getting there two straight years. But we can’t just go into the season and jump right back into the second round. We’ve got to go back and start all over again.”

While the Knicks are in prime position to make it to at least the conference finals, they still have some obstacles to overcome, Bondy writes. For one, they’ll need to be healthier after missing several members of their rotation in the ’23/24 postseason. They’re also not the only Eastern Conference team that improved in the offseason, meaning the playoff competition could be stiffer next spring.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

  • Knicks and NBA legend Carmelo Anthony revealed on the 7PM in Brooklyn podcast that he was offered an end-of-bench role by New York in 2022 (YouTube link). “We sat down and had a real conversation. ‘Listen, here’s a spot. You can be on the team tomorrow, but this is the spot,” Anthony said. The 10-time All-Star explained that he always had a goal of returning to New York, but after a handful of successful sixth-man seasons with the Lakers and Trail Blazers, Anthony didn’t want to be relegated to the end of the roster. “The not knowing of when you’re going to play and not play—I’d rather not go through that,” Anthony said. “I’mma bow out gracefully. … Basketball ain’t the issue. I can’t do that. That’s a hell of a decline. When I look at it overall, the overall big picture, that’s a hell of a decline. So I just had to stand on that. No disrespect, but I can’t accept that.“
  • A city-sponsored impacts study intended to guide decision-makers regarding the Sixers‘ plan for a new downtown arena was released on Monday, per Jeff Gammage and Sean Collins Walsh of The Philadelphia Inquirer. According to the report, the proposed 18,500-seat arena would generate about $1.8 billion in additional economic activity during its construction and planned 30 years of operation. The study showed the arena could cause indirect housing displacement through gentrification. Additionally, concerns were raised about impact on transit, a lack of outdoor spaces at the arena and a disparity between the actual amount of new concerns the venue would be able to hold.
  • Isaiah Thomas established himself as a key figure in Celtics history after a pair of All-Star seasons and a year in which he averaged 28.9 points per game. However, his exit from Boston was a rocky one after he was traded following a postseason in which he battled through a hip injury and the death of his sister to play for the team. Thomas further explained the situation on the Knuckleheads Podcast (YouTube link). “When I got traded to Cleveland, I was upset because at that point, I put my career on the line for something you could have just broken down to me and told me, ‘If you do play, or if we do this, it could possibly be what it happened to be,’” Thomas said (hat tip to HoopsHype). “It took me three years to really get back to who I am and figure out what was going on. But it was a tough situation. It was a learning experience for myself. I got real love for Boston and everybody in that organization, but it was definitely the wrong way to go about things.” Thomas said that nobody was there to explain that if he played, his could have jeopardized his career by worsening the injury.
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International Notes: Yurtseven, Lessort, Sochan, Beverley, Cousins

August 27th, 2024 at 12:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Sani Becirovic, the technical director Panathinaikos, confirmed this week that the Greek club has interest in free agent big man Omer Yurtseven, who has spent the past three seasons in the NBA. Panathinaikos’ interest in Yurtseven was reported earlier this month.

“The truth has been written,” Becirovic said, per Alessandro Maggi of Sportando. “We have nothing to hide: he is one of the players we are interested in. There have been contacts, we have studied the case to see if he is a realistic option or not. But there is still some work to be done to reach an agreement.”

If Panathinaikos is able to finalize a deal with Yurtseven, the veteran center would join a frontcourt that also includes Mathias Lessort, whose play at the Olympics helped generate some NBA buzz. However, Becirovic said that he wasn’t worried about Lessort – whose NBA rights are controlled by the Knicks – making the move stateside this offseason.

“Obviously, we want him to stay as long as possible and we will do everything we can to keep him,” Becirovic said. “No, I wasn’t nervous about him leaving because he didn’t have a contract with the NBA. So I was pretty calm about it. There were also rumors that there was a lot of interest in him. The interest was there, but we never got into serious negotiations to make something happen, like with (Guerschon) Yabusele (leaving Real Madrid for the Sixers) for example.”

Here are a few more items of interest from around the international basketball world:

  • Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan, who played for the Polish national team during the 2024 Olympic qualifiers, has committed to representing the country next summer at EuroBasket, as Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops relays. As one of the four countries co-hosting EuroBasket 2025, Poland has automatically qualified for the tournament.
  • Patrick Beverley, who is playing for Hapoel Tel Aviv in Israel in 2024/25, has lofty goals for his new club, as he stated in a video recently posted to his Twitter account. “I don’t want to win, I want complete domination,” Beverley said. “… I don’t even want games to be close. I just want us to stomp the s–t out of everybody.” The veteran guard is aiming to help lead Hapoel Tel Aviv to a EuroCup title next season in order to earn the team a promotion to the EuroLeague.
  • Four-time NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins has joined Wuxi WenLv, a Chinese team on the FIBA 3×3 World Tour, according to an announcement from FIBA (Twitter link). Cousins, who has been out of the NBA since 2022, has played for professional teams in Puerto Rico, Taiwan, and the Philippines since then.
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Knicks Notes: Randle, Rotation, Kolek, Yurtseven, Bridges

August 21st, 2024 at 8:18pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Any hypothetical trade involving Julius Randle, who has a player option for 2025/26, is difficult because no team seems to value him more than the Knicks do, Fred Katz of The Athletic writes in part two of his mailbag. He has a fair contract worth $28.9MM this season, but any team who trades for him would have to extend him and wouldn’t want to give up a package that would seem suitable for New York.

As Katz relays, there’s no indication New York even wants to trade Randle, who averaged 24.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists last season.

Katz compares the situation to what is currently happening with Brandon Ingram and the Pelicans. Because New Orleans values Ingram too much to give him for nothing, it makes it difficult to trade him to other teams who don’t want to sacrifice many assets if they have to pay him big money. Still, as Katz writes, making such an attempt to move Randle doesn’t make sense at this juncture for one of New York’s most important pieces.

We have more from the Knicks:

  • Randle might man the center position more often this season, Katz writes in the same piece. He’s in prime position to take the role Isaiah Hartenstein filled last year in terms of taking dump-offs from Jalen Brunson and using his ball-handling skills in the middle.
  • New York has always been strict about handing out minutes to rookies, making sure that said minutes are earned and not given. While Tyler Kolek could impress early, Katz doesn’t see the Knicks’ 34th overall pick playing much right away, especially since the team signed Cameron Payne to fill the third point guard spot on the roster.
  • As we’ve written in recent days, Omer Yurtseven has an agreement in principle to join Greek club Panathinaikos. He originally worked out for the Knicks in early, who extended him a contract offer, according to SNY’s Ian Begley (Twitter link). However, Begley writes that the offer from New York wasn’t something he would seriously consider, which seems to indicate that the deal may have been a non-guaranteed offer to join the team in training camp.
  • Mikal Bridges‘ impact on the Knicks is being overlooked before the season starts, argues The Sporting News’s Scott Davis. In Bridges, the Knicks are getting one of the best defensive wings in the league who doesn’t have to be the No. 1 option for the franchise. He’ll be able to lead reserve units, for sure, but he’ll also be able to catch and shoot while being a strong backside cut option.
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