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Knicks’ Dolan Rips NBA’s Media Deal, Revenue Sharing Policies

July 16th, 2024 at 8:02am CST by Luke Adams

Knicks owner James Dolan sent a letter to the NBA’s Board of Governors blasting the league’s new $74.6 billion media rights deal and renewing his criticisms of the league’s revenue sharing policies, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The new media rights deal has expanded to include three national partners instead of two and is expected to significantly increase the number of nationally televised games, reducing the number of available games for regional sports networks and cutting into the revenue generated by those local broadcasts.

“The increased number of exclusive and non-exclusive games means that national partners would have the ability to air nearly half of the regular season and all postseason games,” Dolan wrote in his letter, per Wojnarowski. “This reduction in available games for RSNs risks rendering the entire RSN model unviable. The inclusion of streaming partners in the proposal (e.g., Amazon Prime Video, Peacock) allows fans in all NBA markets to bypass their RSN to watch certain games in their local market. The proposal offers no local protections for RSNs.”

As Wojnarowski details, the NBA has also reportedly proposed that the league office receive an 8% cut of the revenue from that media deal, as opposed to 0.5% under the previous agreement. That would work out to about $6 billion over 11 seasons, beginning in 2025/26. Dolan said there has been no “sufficient justification” for that exponential increase.

“(There is no) transparency into how (the NBA) arrived at the sum, how these fees will be allocated or to what extent the league will utilize this purported revenue growth to incur new and incremental costs and further expand the league’s ever growing expense level,” Dolan wrote.

Dolan has long had an adversarial relationship with the league office and commissioner Adam Silver. He stepped down from his positions on the NBA’s influential advisory/finance and media committees last year, with reporting at the time indicating that the Knicks owner had been “increasingly critical” of Silver and the NBA on a number of issues.

The Knicks questioned Silver’s impartiality when they filed suit against the Raptors last year, arguing that the court system ought to rule on a dispute between the two teams due to Silver’s allegedly tight relationship with Raptors governor Larry Tanenbaum.

Dolan, who has also been a critic of the NBA’s revenue sharing system over the years, argued in his letter to the Board of Governors that the new TV deal will hurt local team sponsors and partners, since the visibility those sponsors receive in locally televised games won’t be afforded to them in national broadcasts. He added that “pride of ownership” is being sacrificed and that the league is becoming a “one size fits all, characterless organization” by taking away agency from its individual teams.

“The NBA has made the move to an NFL model — de-emphasizing and de-powering the local market,” Dolan wrote. “Soon, your only revenue concern will be the sale of tickets and what color next year’s jersey will be. Don’t worry, because due to revenue pooling, you are guaranteed to be neither a success nor a failure. Of course, to get there, the league must take down the successful franchises and redistribute to the less successful. This new media deal goes a long way to accomplishing that goal.”

The NBA’s Board of Governors is reportedly set to meet on Tuesday in Las Vegas. Dolan, who has declined to attend those meetings since stepping down from the league’s committees last year, wrote in his letter that he believes the Knicks’ concerns are “shared by many of our counterparts across the league.”

Knicks Sign Cameron Payne To One-Year Contract

July 15th, 2024 at 6:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

8:06pm: The Knicks have officially signed Payne, the team’s PR department tweets.

6:20pm: The Knicks are signing reserve point guard Cameron Payne to a one-year contract, Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT tweets.

The Knicks are using the veteran’s minimum exception to sign Payne, Ian Begley of SNY TV tweets. The deal will be worth approximately just over $3MM.

Payne will immediately jump into the mix for backup minutes behind star floor leader Jalen Brunson.

Payne, 29, will be joining his seventh team since entering the league in 2015. He split his time between the Bucks and Sixers last season.

Milwaukee traded Payne and a 2027 second-round pick to Philadelphia for Patrick Beverley at the trade deadline. With Milwaukee, Payne appeared in 47 games and averaged 6.2 points and 2.3 assists in 14.9 minutes. With the Sixers, Payne saw action in 31 regular-season contests, averaging 9.3 points and 3.1 assists in 19.4 minutes. He also appeared in a handful of Philadelphia’s playoff games.

The addition of Payne makes it less likely that second-round pick Tyler Kolek will play a rotation role in his rookie year. Miles McBride is another candidate for regular minutes among the backcourt reserves.

The Knicks had also expressed interest in free agent point man Tyus Jones, according to Begley, who says that Payne’s playoff experience added to his appeal. The addition of Payne gives the Knicks 13 players on the roster, Begley notes (Twitter link), so at least one more move is coming.

Payne was arrested in Arizona this offseason after he made a false report and would not identify himself.

Knicks’ Mikal Bridges Expected To Sign Team-Friendly Extension

July 15th, 2024 at 3:51pm CST by Rory Maher

After being acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Nets, new Knicks wing Mikal Bridges is expected to “follow (Jalen) Brunson‘s lead” and sign a relatively team-friendly contract extension with New York when he becomes eligible to, according to veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein (Substack link).

As Stein writes, Bridges will be eligible for a less appealing ($72.5MM) two-year extension as of October 1. He will also be eligible for more lucrative three- and four-year extensions during the 2025 offseason. Either way, an extension isn’t imminent, since it isn’t even currently permitted.

Still, it’s a noteworthy development considering what the Knicks gave up to acquire Bridges — five first-round picks (four unprotected), one swap, Brooklyn’s own 2025 second-rounder, and veterans Bojan Bogdanovic, Shake Milton (sign-and-trade), and Mamadi Diakite.

The 10th pick of the 2018 draft, Bridges signed a four-year, $90MM rookie scale extension in October 2021, which kicked in starting in 2022/23. He will earn $23.3MM in ’24/25, followed by $24.9MM in ’25/26. A potential extension wouldn’t begin until ’26/27.

Bridges, 27, was the runner-up for the 2021/22 Defensive Player of the Year award, also earning a spot on the All-Defensive First Team that season. He starred in college at Villanova, playing alongside Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart. That surely factors in with Brunson’s deal as well.

Bridges has yet to miss a game in his six-year NBA career. In 82 appearances last season (34.8 MPG), the 6’6″ guard/forward averaged 19.6 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3.6 APG and 1.0 SPG on .436/.372/.814 shooting.

New York Notes: Finney-Smith, Nets, Johnson, Kolek

July 14th, 2024 at 5:26pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith knows he could be dealt this offseason or sometime next season. He’s a productive role player with two years and a little over $30MM remaining on his contract, including a player option for the 2025/26 season. He admits the possiblity is on his mind.

“I’m human. So of course I’ve got family always asking me what’s going on and (stuff) like that,” he told Brian Lewis of the New York Post (Twitter link). “But I’m just honest. I’m human so I’m going to pay attention a little bit. But I’m wherever my feet are at. And so I’m a Brooklyn Net.”

We have more from the New York teams:

Player development is key for the Nets during Summer League play and they displayed some tenacity against Indiana on Friday, rallying from 15 points down to claim a two-point win. “They never quit, down 15, fought as hard as they could. Scrapped, clawed … There’s a lot to clean up, but I’m very happy with with their effort. They never gave in,” Summer League coach Steve Hetzel said, per Lucas Kaplan of NetsDaily.com.
Unrestricted free agent Keon Johnson had 16 points and six assists in that game. Johnson had a two-way contract with the Nets last season and is trying to earn another NBA deal, with the Nets or another team. “Right now I’m just really focused on summer league. This is the only opportunity that I know I have right now,” Johnson told Lewis. “So I’m just really focused on playing summer league and just showing what I can do. And hopefully I’ll be here. But just giving myself the best opportunity for my career.”
Early second-round pick Tyler Kolek started for the Knicks’ Summer League squad on Saturday and dished out seven assists. The former Marquette floor leader could be a better option as a depth point guard than the remaining free agent options, says Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.

Knicks Notes: Brunson, Achiuwa, Kolek, Dadiet

July 14th, 2024 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Jalen Brunson‘s four-year, $156.5MM extension should be viewed as the largest financial favor in NBA history, writes Fred Katz of The Athletic. Brunson opted for the security of having a long-term deal in place now, but he bypassed an extra $113MM that he would have been eligible to receive if he had waited another year.

Brunson didn’t mind taking less because he’s so happy playing in New York, Katz adds. He likes being with his Villanova friends on a team that can compete for a title, and he enjoys playing for coach Tom Thibodeau, who helped mold him into a star.

Katz notes that the financial impact of Brunson’s decision should be significant. In a league where nearly every contender operates under concerns about the first and second aprons, the Knicks now have their best player signed to a relative bargain of a contract through at least 2028, when he’ll have a player option for the final season. A league source tells Katz that Brunson was given a 15% trade kicker in the deal.

With newly acquired Mikal Bridges also on a team-friendly contract — making $23.3MM and $24.9MM the next two seasons — New York is in position to fortify its roster without worrying about the second apron. Katz points out that Brunson, Bridges, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson, Donte DiVincenzo, Miles McBride, Pacome Dadiet and Tyler Kolek will make a combined $153.2MM when Brunson’s new contract takes effect with the 2025/26 season, leaving the Knicks well short of the projected $207.8MM second apron.

There’s more from New York:

The Knicks remain in touch with Precious Achiuwa in hopes of re-signing him as the primary backup to Mitchell Robinson, according to Ian Begley of SNY (video link). The free agent big man appeared in 49 games after being acquired from Toronto in December and had a significant role in the playoffs. New York is also exploring trades for “high-salaried veterans,” Begley adds.
Kolek impressed the Knicks on Saturday in his Summer League debut with seven points, seven rebounds and seven assists, per Steve Popper of Newsday. The second-round pick could be in contention for rotation minutes this season as a backup to Brunson. “I’m just trying to come in and do whatever (Thibodeau) asks me to do,” Kolek said. “Just keep my head down, do what he asks me to do. I’m a worker . . . That’s my calling card. I’m going to be in the gym, I’m going to get better. Really whatever the team needs, what the coach needs, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Dadiet said the speed of the game and the longer three-point line are the biggest adjustments in coming from France to the NBA, Popper adds. The first-round pick shot 2-for-8 Saturday, including air balls on two long distance shots. “I’m not sure of the difference,” he said. “In Europe it’s in meters.”

New York Notes: Johnson, Hetzel, McCullar, Jokubaitis, Brunson

July 12th, 2024 at 9:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Keon Johnson played on a two-way contract with the Nets last season and is now an unrestricted free agent. He’s trying to earn another NBA deal while playing on Brooklyn’s Summer League team.

Johnson appeared in five Nets games last season.

“It’s really their interest that they’ve shown to me at the beginning,” Johnson told Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “Brooklyn had interest in me during the draft. They couldn’t get me in the draft, but really just having an organization around me that is hands-on and wants to see me grow. So I feel like with the free agency that I have right now, all I’m focused on is just someone giving me the opportunity to play ball. I feel like everything else will settle itself whenever I step out onto the court. But right now I’m just focused on step [one], being on the court and showing what I can do.”

We have more New York notes:

Jordi Fernandez and his Nets coaching staff want to establish their philosophy and approach during the Summer League, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “From our standpoint, as a group, as a coaching staff from Jordi and also the front office, we don’t see our style of play changing necessarily with our roster compared to the summer league,” Summer League coach Steve Hetzel said. “And that’s the importance of summer league is to set a foundation of how we want to play. … We want our Brooklyn Nets team to be disruptive, physical and help, and we want to play fast and share the ball. So the messaging, it will just carry over into that team.”
Knicks second round pick Kevin McCullar won’t play in the Summer League, The Athletic’s Fred Katz tweets. The 56th pick of the draft out of Kansas is still rehabbing a knee injury he suffered in his final college season.
Rokas Jokubaitis, a 2021 draft pick, is on the Knicks’ Summer League roster but he’s apparently returning to Europe, rather than coming to the Knicks’ training camp. After three years with Barcelona, the draft-and-stash prospect is close to returning to Zalgiris Kaunas in his home country Lithuania, according to Donatas Urbonas of Basket News.
Jalen Brunson‘s extension includes a 15% trade kicker, Katz tweets. The Knicks star guard signed the four-year extension on Friday.

Groups Revealed For 2024 NBA Cup

July 12th, 2024 at 7:28pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The NBA has announced the five-team groups for this year’s in-season tournament, now renamed the Emirates NBA Cup, the league announced in a release on Friday (Twitter link).

Like last year, there are six groups — three each from the Western Conference and Eastern Conference — and each conference was split into five groups based on last year’s standings. One team was selected at random from each group to determine the group round matchups.

The results are:

West Group A: Timberwolves, Clippers, Kings, Rockets and Trail Blazers
West Group B: Thunder, Suns, Lakers, Jazz and Spurs
West Group C: Nuggets, Mavericks, Pelicans, Warriors and Grizzlies
East Group A: Knicks, Magic, Sixers, Nets and Hornets
East Group B: Bucks, Pacers, Heat, Raptors and Pistons
East Group C: Celtics, Cavaliers, Bulls, Hawks and Wizards

The NBA Cup begins with group play, which runs from Nov. 12 to Dec. 3. Each team plays one game against each of the four opponents in its group. The NBA released a matchup matrix to help fans follow along (Twitter link).

Just like last season, the winner of each group advances to a knockout round alongside the team with the best record in each conference that didn’t win a group. The semifinals and finals will again be played in T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Last year, the Lakers won the inaugural in-season tournament over the Pacers. LeBron James was named the tournament MVP after dropping 24 points in the title game.

The full game and broadcast schedule for group play will be announced next month.

Scotto’s Latest: Jones, Kennard, Martin, Okogie, Knicks, Shamet, Klintman

July 12th, 2024 at 6:31pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Clippers are showing interest in free agent guard Tyus Jones in sign-and-trade scenarios, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports in his latest around-the-league notebook.

While this is just speculation on Scotto’s part, the Clippers could look to use some combination of the expiring contracts of P.J. Tucker and Russell Westbrook or draft compensation and Bones Hyland in sign-and-trade scenarios for the Wizards guard.

Jones, our No. 15-ranked free agent, averaged 12.0 points and 7.3 assists per game last season while shooting 48.9% from the field and 41.4% from beyond the arc.

We have more from Scotto:

The leaguewide expectation is that Luke Kennard will return to the Grizzlies after the organization declined his team option before free agency, Scotto writes. Kennard averaged 11.0 PPG on 45.0% shooting from deep last season.
As we noted earlier Friday, it’s likely the Sixers look to use newly signed KJ Martin‘s contract as a trade chip when he becomes eligible to be moved on Jan. 15. The Sixers could trade for a player making $14MM if they packaged Martin alongside three minimum-salary players in a trade.
The Suns gave Josh Okogie a similar deal to what Martin got and could also look to utilize his salary as a trade chip, Scotto reports. However, unlike Martin, Okogie’s deal can’t be aggregated with other players on Phoenix’s roster due to the team’s position relative to the second tax apron.
The Knicks are trying to add both size and shooting to their roster this offseason, Scotto writes. Davis Bertans has previously been mentioned as an option for the Knicks, and they’re also expressing interest in free agent guard Landry Shamet. As reported, New York has shown interest in Walker Kessler but Utah’s asking price remains high. Meanwhile, Precious Achiuwa remains open to a return to New York.
Outside of the Knicks, Scotto reports that Shamet has drawn “exploratory interest” from the Bucks, Heat and Timberwolves. A return to the Wizards isn’t out of the question either.
The Pistons are attempting to finalize a contract with their No. 37 overall pick Bobi Klintman. Klintman is expected to end up on the 15-man roster on a multiyear contract, according to Scotto. The Pistons were intrigued by his size and shooting ability and are hoping to have him on a standard deal.

Jalen Brunson Signs Four-Year Extension With Knicks

July 12th, 2024 at 4:55pm CST by Tristan Tucker

4:55pm: Brunson’s extension with the Knicks is now official, according to a team press release (Twitter link).

“Jalen signing his extension to remain with the Knicks for the long-term shows the dedication and passion he has for the organization, the fans and this city,” Knicks president Leon Rose said in a statement. “Jalen has often called the Knicks his family and we are beyond proud to have him wear and represent our orange and blue for years to come. Jalen has embraced every challenge since he’s come to New York and has been committed since day one to the vision and plan we set forth for the future of this team.

“Since Jalen joined us two years ago, he has consistently led by example and continues to show a willingness to sacrifice for this organization, his teammates and everyone in the Knicks family.”

4:10pm: Knicks star guard Jalen Brunson has agreed to a four-year, $156.5MM contract extension, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports (Twitter link).

As Wojnarowski observes, the deal is a massive financial concession for a contender, since Brunson could have been eligible for a five-year, $269MM deal next offseason. By signing an extension now, Brunson is allowing the Knicks to maintain some spending power to retain a contending core — highlighted by Brunson, Julius Randle, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and more — for at least the next few seasons.

Because Brunson can’t receive more than a 40% raise on his 2024/25 salary of $24,960,001 in the first year of an extension, his new deal will start at $34,944,001 in ’25/26, replacing the player option on his current contract.

It’s an unprecedented move for the All-Star guard who finished fifth in MVP voting last season. The deal does cost Brunson $37.1MM over the next three years, but there’s a way for the Villanova product to recoup the value he’s sacrificing in the short term down the line. Brunson’s deal includes a fourth-year player option. He could sign a four-year, $323MM extension in 2028 or a new, five-year, $418MM deal in 2029.

The Knicks signaled their belief in this being a championship core when they traded multiple first-round picks to acquire Bridges earlier this summer. Bridges is only under contract for two more seasons at a modest AAV of $24.1MM over those two seasons. With Brunson taking this short-term paycut, the Knicks have more flexibility to re-up Bridges for the long term. Bridges is eligible for a four-year, $156MM deal next offseason — if he were to sign that deal, it would represent another below-market rate to help keep this Knicks team together.

This move by Brunson also allows New York to duck the second apron in the first year of the extension, thereby allowing them to dodge the restrictive penalties that would have followed.

According to Fred Katz of The Athletic, Brunson will receive a 50% advance on his salary at the start of each season of the extension (Twitter link).

A solid rotation player in Dallas during the first four years of his career, Brunson has become a star over the past two seasons with New York, averaging 26.5 points and 6.5 assists while shooting 48.4% from the field and 37.3% from beyond the arc during that time. Those two seasons have been among the most successful in recent Knicks history. The team’s .610 win percentage last season has only been topped once since 2000 (in 2012/13).

Atlantic Notes: Whitehead, Bridges, MacDonald, Embiid

July 11th, 2024 at 10:57am CST by Dana Gauruder

With Mikal Bridges joining the other New York City team, Nets forward Dariq Whitehead knows he could be in line for more playing time next season, Adam Zagoria of NJ.com writes. Whitehead has undergone foot and shin surgeries that limited him to two NBA appearances in his rookie year after getting selected with the No. 22 pick.

“I look at it as an opportunity for me to get on the court and a bunch of other young guys to grow our games and develop into who we want to be in the NBA,” Whitehead said. “And eventually be on their level, if not higher than where they were….and look it as an opportunity for us young guys.”

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Speaking of Bridges, he’s not worried about fitting in with his new Knicks teammates, some of whom played with him collegiately at Villanova, Zach Braziller of the New York Post relays. “I think it’s not going to be that hard honestly,” Bridges said. “I think it’s just knowing the brand we play here, and playing the right way is who I am. It’s like a natural thing. It’s kind of like going to [Team] USA, kind of the same thing where obviously, going to USA last year, the role’s going to change.”
The Long Island Nets, Brooklyn’s NBA G League affiliate, have named Matt MacDonald their general manager, according to a press release. “We are excited to have Matt step into this role and lead our G League program with the Long Island Nets,” Brooklyn Nets GM Sean Marks said. “Since starting out in our front office, Matt has continually been elevated into a variety of positions spanning both player personnel and administration and has proven to have the acumen and diverse skillset required to thrive with each opportunity.” MacDonald was Long Island’s assistant GM for the last two seasons.
Sixers superstar Joel Embiid says any concern about him getting injured during Team USA’s Olympic run is overshadowed by his quest for a gold medal, according to Shaun Powell of NBA.com. “For me, being part of the Olympics was always the goal. It was an opportunity and a chance I couldn’t pass up. And I don’t think there is a big risk,” he said.