New York Knicks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Didn’t Extend Qualifying Offer To Precious Achiuwa

June 29th, 2024 at 5:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks opted not to extend a $6.3MM qualifying offer to Precious Achiuwa, league sources tell Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link). The decision means the 24-year-old big man will be unrestricted when he enters free agency on Sunday.

New York hasn’t ruled out re-signing Achiuwa, Katz adds, but the team didn’t want to risk the possibility of having him quickly accept the QO, which would have affected its hard cap situation as it tries to work out the details of the trade to acquire Mikal Bridges from Brooklyn.

The Knicks acquired Achiuwa in late December as part of the OG Anunoby deal. He wound up playing a significant role amid long-term injuries to Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson and others. Achiuwa appeared in 49 games after the trade, making 18 starts and averaging 7.6 points and 7.2 rebounds in 24.2 minutes per night.

The Knicks have picked up their $2MM team option on Jericho Sims for next season, a source tells Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (Twitter link). The backup center still only has a $651K partial guarantee on his $2.09MM salary, with trigger dates in July and August. Sims, who has spent the past three seasons with New York, will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.

The team has declined DaQuan Jeffries‘ $2.5MM option, Katz tweets. Jeffries, who saw action in 17 games, will become an unrestricted free agent on Sunday.

The Knicks extended a qualifying offer to two-way forward Jacob Toppin, making him a restricted free agent, Katz tweets. However, two-way players Duane Washington Jr. and Charlie Brown Jr. did not receive QOs (Twitter links).

Atlantic Notes: McCain, Thomas, Hauser, Scheierman

June 28th, 2024 at 2:54pm CST by Arthur Hill

Tyrese Maxey is one of the few definite members of the Sixers‘ roster next season, but that didn’t deter the team from drafting another small guard Wednesday night. Philadelphia used the No. 16 pick on Duke’s Jared McCain, a 6’2″ scoring specialist whose skills seems to overlap with Maxey’s.

President of basketball operations Daryl Morey admitted that having an undersized backcourt isn’t ideal, but he added that McCain has learned how to be effective despite his stature (video link from Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer).

“He’s got a strong frame, very strong, good rebounder,” Morey said. “We think he’ll be a solid defender in the league over time. He was being targeted at Duke, but as the season wore on he was actually one of their better defenders. He’s got the attitude that coach (Nick) Nurse likes to bring, which is just get a little bit better every day. He’s got 95th percentile approach to the game, good teammate, work ethic. We’ve had some good luck with taking kids with a real base of potential and a strong work ethic.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Cam Thomas, who is eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason, was the Nets‘ leading scorer this season and his opportunities should increase now that Mikal Bridges is being traded to New York, observes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Lewis expects Thomas’ usage rate to soar, possibly among the league leaders, but until Brooklyn starts winning he’ll never be able to escape the reputation of putting up good stats on a bad team. “I’ve always gone through that stuff,” Thomas said. “Whenever I … have a big season or leap, it goes a little under the radar or unnoticed. If other players do it, it’s all talked about a lot. Obviously, I’m kind of used to it in a way. I don’t really care. I go out there and play for my guys and the organization to be the best player I can be. … I want to go out there and be the best version of myself.”
With Sam Hauser entering the final season of his minimum contract, the Celtics may have drafted his eventual replacement when they took Creighton’s Baylor Scheierman at No. 30, notes Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Scheierman is a similar type of player, and Weiss points out that he ran some of the same sets in college that Boston uses to create shots for Hauser. The Celtics will be well into tax territory for multiple seasons after expected extensions for Jayson Tatum and Derrick White, so they’ll have to decide whether it’s worth the extra tax bill to re-sign Hauser. Team president Brad Stevens appears willing to make that commitment, telling reporters, “We want him to be here for a long time.” (Twitter link from Brian Robb of MassLive)
With most of the roster already under contract for next season, Stevens doesn’t expect any major changes to the team this offseason, per Kyle Hightower of The Associated Press.
A judge granted the Raptors‘ motion to compel arbitration in their legal dispute with the Knicks, tweets Baxter Holmes of ESPN. Commissioner Adam Silver will make the final decision on whether the case will be arbitrated. All parties must update the court on the status of arbitration by December 13.

Suns Acquire No. 40 Pick Oso Ighodaro From Knicks

June 27th, 2024 at 7:59pm CST by Luke Adams

7:59pm: The trade is official, according to a press release from the Suns. Rather than trading the No. 51 pick back and forth, the Knicks are simply receiving No. 56 pick Kevin McCullar and the Celtics’ top-45 protected 2028 second-round pick in exchange for Ighodaro.

4:32pm: Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports has clarified (via Twitter) that the Suns sent Boston’s 2028 second-round pick (top-45 protected) to the Knicks for No. 51, then traded No. 51 back to New York along with No. 56 in exchange for No. 40.

Essentially, then, the Knicks are receiving No. 56 and Boston’s protected 2028 second-rounder for No. 40 (Ighodaro), while still holding No. 51.

4:21pm: Marquette forward Oso Ighodaro was selected with the 40th overall pick in Thursday’s draft. We can say that with certainty. Tracking which team controls that pick is a little trickier.

While the Trail Blazers entered the day with control of No. 40, they agreed to trade it in a deal with the Thunder involving the No. 52 pick, per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Oklahoma City then agreed to send it – along with cash – to the Knicks in a deal for the No. 38 pick, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link), the Knicks subsequently reached a deal to send No. 40 to the Suns, who will ultimately control Ighodaro’s draft rights. Phoenix is sending No. 56 to New York as part of that trade, tweets Charania.

We’re still waiting for details on what else Portland is getting to move down from No. 40 to No. 52 and what else the Knicks are getting to move down from No. 40 to No. 56. Wojnarowski reported (via Twitter) that New York is receiving the No. 51 pick in addition to 56, but the Knicks already acquired that pick from Washington in an earlier deal.

We’ll update this story when we have more clarity on those trade details.

Knicks Trade No. 51 Pick Melvin Ajinca To Mavs

June 27th, 2024 at 7:55pm CST by Rory Maher

7:55pm: The trade is official, according to the Mavericks (Twitter link). In exchange for Ajinca, the Knicks received Hukporti, cash, and the draft rights to 2007 first-rounder Petteri Koponen. Dallas sent $1MM in cash to New York, tweets Fred Katz of The Athletic.

5:43pm: The Knicks are trading the No. 51 pick in the 2024 draft to the Mavericks in exchange for the No. 58 pick and cash, sources tell ESPN’s Tim MacMahon (Twitter link).

Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports hears New York will also acquire the rights to a player who was previously drafted, though that player has yet to be reported (Twitter link).

Dallas will acquire the rights to French wing Melvin Ajinca, who was selected 51st overall, while New York will control the rights to German big man Ariel Hukporti, the final pick of the draft.

A 20-year-old guard/forward, Ajinca averaged 9.3 PPG and 3.3 RPG on .373/.309/.797 shooting in 28 games (24.6 MPG) this past season for Saint-Quintin, which competes in France’s top basketball division (LNB Elite).

Hukporti, 22, spent the 2023/24 season in Australia with Melbourne United, averaging 8.4 PPG, 7.0 RPG and 1.5 BPG in 28 games (18.4 MPG).

Thunder Officially Confirm Three Trades

June 27th, 2024 at 7:49pm CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder have issued a press release confirming that three separate minor trades reported earlier in the day have been officially completed. The following trades were finalized, per the team:

The Thunder sent Lindy Waters to the Warriors in exchange for the draft rights to No. 52 pick Quinten Post (story).
The Thunder then sent Post’s rights and cash to the Trail Blazers in exchange for the draft rights to No. 40 pick Oso Ighodaro (story).
Finally, the Thunder sent the rights to Ighodaro and cash to the Knicks in exchange for the draft rights to No. 38 pick Ajay Mitchell (story). The Knicks received $500K in cash, per Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link).

While the deals were completed as three separate transactions, the upshot is that the Thunder sent out Waters (to the Warriors) and cash (to both the Blazers and Knicks) in exchange for Mitchell, the No. 38 pick in today’s second round.

Post eventually landed with Golden State, while Ighodaro was sent to Phoenix.

[RELATED: 2024 NBA Offseason Trades]

A native of Belgium, Mitchell had an impressive junior season for UC Santa Barbara in 2023/24, averaging 20.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.2 steals on .504/.393/.858 shooting in 29 games (31.5 minutes per contest).

Knicks Acquire No. 34 Pick Tyler Kolek From Blazers

June 27th, 2024 at 5:53pm CST by Dana Gauruder

5:53pm: The Blazers have issued a press release confirming the trade is official.

3:40pm: The Trail Blazers are trading the No. 34 pick in the draft for three future second-rounders, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports tweets. The Knicks used the pick to select Marquette point guard Tyler Kolek, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium tweets.

The Trail Blazers will receive two second-rounders the Knicks acquired in previous trades — a 2027 from Minnesota, and a 2029 that will be the least favorable of Indiana’s or Washington’s pick. New York also included its own 2030 second-round pick, according to Fischer (Twitter link).

Kolek is one of most established floor leaders coming out of the college ranks and provides depth behind star point man Jalen Brunson. Kolek led the nation in assists per game this past season at 7.7. He’s led the Big East in assists per game for three straight seasons.

In his senior season, he averaged 15.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals. He’s valued as a passer with excellent footwork and finishing ability. He also improved his 3-point shooting in his last two college seasons, averaging 39.8% and 38.8%.

According to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, there was a “ton of noise” that the Knicks would use one of their late first-rounders on Kolek (Twitter link). As it turned out, he was still available early in the second round.

Knicks To Trade No. 38 Pick To Thunder

June 27th, 2024 at 3:57pm CST by Rory Maher

The Knicks are trading the No. 38 pick in the 2024 draft to the Thunder, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Oklahoma City will be sending New York the No. 40 pick and cash, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports that the Thunder will select UC Santa Barbara guard Ajay Mitchell (Twitter links).

A native of Belgium, Mitchell had an impressive junior season for the Gauchos in 2023/24, averaging 20.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.2 steals on .504/.393/.858 shooting in 29 games (31.5 minutes per contest).

According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, the Thunder previously agreed to acquire the No. 40 pick from the Trail Blazers in exchange for the No. 52 pick. OKC intially secured the 52nd pick in the deal that sent Lindy Waters to Golden State (Twitter links).

Portland will receive cash from Oklahoma City for moving down from No. 52 to No. 40.

And-Ones: France, Japan, FAs, Klutch, West, Wright

June 27th, 2024 at 3:10pm CST by Rory Maher

Ahead of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, host nation France has announced that two players from its preliminary 19-man roster have been cut (Twitter link): former NBA guard Killian Hayes, who is currently an unrestricted free agent, and Thunder forward Ousmane Dieng.

Neither Hayes nor Dieng have ever suited up for the senior national team, according to Eurohoops, but they did represent their home country at the youth level. The French national team will need to trim its roster down to 12 players from the current 17 before the Olympics begin at the end of July.

Japan recently announced its own 16-man preliminary roster ahead of the Olympics, per Eurohoops. Lakers forward Rui Hachimura headlines the group, which also features Yuta Watanabe. France, Japan, Germany and the winner of the Olympic qualifying tournament in Latvia will comprise Group C of the 12-team tournament.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

John Hollinger of The Athletic ranks the top free agent small forwards and power forwards, respectively. Hollinger’s BORD$ formula rates LeBron James as the top overall free agent regardless of position, with Paul George the top small forward. Free agents can begin negotiating with other teams on June 30.
Klutch Sports Group and Rich Paul have been sued in federal court by longtime NBA agent Mark Termini, writes Mark Vorkunov of The Athletic. Termini, a former associate of Klutch, is suing for $4.9MM plus interest for an alleged breach of contract. Termini claims Klutch began paying him less than he was owed as the “lead negotiator” on several contracts from 2018-20. “This lawsuit is inaccurate and misguided,” a Klutch spokesperson said. “And will be addressed in the proper forum.”
Virginia prosecutors have dropped a pair of criminal charges — felony drug possession and violation of pretrial conditions — against former NBA guard Delonte West, reports Baxter Holmes of ESPN. The 40-year-old is still facing two other charges (resisting arrest and obstruction of justice) stemming from his arrest earlier this month, according to Holmes, who adds that West is due in court on July 11.
The Knicks will soon have four former Villanova Wildcats on their roster, but former Nova coach Jay Wright has no intention of becoming a coach with New York or any other NBA team, he told Zach Braziller of The New York Post.

Knicks Notes: Dadiet, Hartenstein, McBride, Brunson

June 27th, 2024 at 2:11pm CST by Rory Maher

The Knicks selected French wing Pacome Dadiet with the No. 25 pick in the 2024 draft. Still just 18 years old, Dadiet spent last season playing for Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany.

Given his age and New York’s financial situation — the team will be hard-capped at the $178.7MM first tax apron if the Mikal Bridges trade is finalized as currently constructed — it would make sense for the Knicks to try and stash Dadiet overseas for at least one season, delaying when he signs his rookie scale contract. However, Dadiet said he plans to play in the NBA next season, which may complicate matters (Twitter link via Fred Katz of The Athletic).

Assuming he signs for 120% of the rookie scale, which virtually every first-round draft pick does, Dadiet would project to earn $2,720,040 in 2024/25. That figure might sound relatively modest by NBA standards, but the Knicks are nearly at the first apron already with just eight players under contract.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

As Ian Begley of SNY.tv writes, the Knicks gained a little financial wiggle room by trading the No. 26 pick (Dillon Jones) to Oklahoma City for five future second-rounders. However, they’ll still need to add about $4.4MM in salary to the Bridges deal to avoid being hard-capped at the first apron — doing so would instead hard cap the Knicks at the second apron ($189.5MM). That would give New York the ability to offer Isaiah Hartenstein his Early Bird max of $72.5MM over four years. Still, Begley says Hartenstein is “unlikely” to return unless he’s willing to take a discount, since he has become the top free agent center available after Nic Claxton agreed to a four-year, $100MM deal with Brooklyn.
Sources tell Fred Katz of The Athletic that the Knicks have indeed been exploring ways to add salary to the Bridges deal to avoid the first apron hard cap. New York contemplated including Miles McBride, but the team has since “shied away” from that idea, according to Katz, who also hears the Knicks have become “pessimistic” about their chances of re-signing Hartenstein.
Speaking of McBride, the 23-year-old guard underwent surgery on his right pinky toe this week, the Knicks announced (via Twitter). McBride is expected to resume basketball activities later this offseason.
It would be far less lucrative than if he were to wait a year, but a league source tells Katz that Jalen Brunson is still considering signing an extension this offseason. Brunson will be eligible to sign a four-year extension worth approximately $157MM this summer. Waiting until 2025 would make him eligible for a deal worth up to a projected $270MM over five years.

Free Agent Rumors: KCP, Nuggets, DeRozan, Williams, Jones, Hartenstein

June 27th, 2024 at 8:21am CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth made it clear that the team wants to retain potential free agent wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, but is prepared for the possibility of losing him. Caldwell-Pope has until Saturday to decide whether or not he’ll pick up his 2024/25 player option.

“I think we have to look at everything, and the nature of free agency is, he’s unrestricted,” Booth said, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. “So we can try to bring him back, and if he doesn’t want to come back or opts to go somewhere else, that’s his prerogative. So we’ll have to work with that. But I think we’re prepared to plug and play, so to speak.”

As Durando notes, Booth identified third-year swingman Christian Braun as the top candidate to replace Caldwell-Pope in the starting lineup if necessary, citing Braun’s net rating in various lineups as a positive indicator for his ability to take on a larger role.

“I think when you look at some of the teams that have been good in the past, they have to find a way to replace fourth, fifth starters, sixth men off the bench and still keep rolling,” Booth said. “… I think if (Braun) has to step into the starting lineup, I think we’ll be OK, if KCP doesn’t return.”

Booth added that the Nuggets have interest in re-signing veteran free agents DeAndre Jordan and Justin Holiday, per Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette (Twitter link).

Here are a few more free agency rumors and notes from around the NBA:

There has been “growing buzz” that DeMar DeRozan won’t be back with the Bulls next season, whether he simply walks as a free agent or departs via sign-and-trade, writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Within his latest Substack article, Marc Stein relays that his podcast partner Chris Haynes said extension talks between the Bulls and DeRozan have “gone cold,” increasing the likelihood that the veteran forward reaches the open market.
On the other hand, “all signs” point to the Bulls re-signing free agent forward Patrick Williams, says Johnson. Chicago was the first team to officially tender a qualifying offer to a free agent this summer, issuing Williams a QO on Monday to ensure he’ll be a restricted free agent.
There have been “league-wide rumblings” that the Magic have interest in point guard Tyus Jones, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports writes within a breakdown of the draft’s first day. Jones will be an unrestricted free agent and is widely expected to command a salary above the mid-level; the Magic will have the cap room necessary to make him a competitive offer if they so choose.
Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein is another potential target to watch for Orlando. With Hartenstein nearing unrestricted free agency, Stein writes at his Substack that the Magic and Thunder continue to be named most frequently by rival executives as potential suitors for the big man.