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Tag: New York Knicks

  • 5 Sixers thoughts: What to make of Clippers scandal; does Cam Thomas taking qualifying offer set the stage for Quentin Grimes?

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    Happy Monday! We are inside of three weeks away from the Sixers beginning their 2025-26 season, a journey which will lead them to Abu Dhabi for two exhibitions in the first week of October before returning home for a few more preseason games and then an 82-game marathon.

    And then, the Sixers hope, will come a lengthy playoff run.

    As always, let’s begin the week with 5 Sixers thoughts, with the NBA’s newest potential scandal serving as the headliner.

    Also inside: Jared McCain providing an injury update, the first of Quentin Grimes’ restricted free agency cohorts to make a decision and more.

    Los Angeles Clippers cap circumvention story through a Sixers lens

    Last week, “Pablo Torre Finds Out” broke a potential scandal that could become a massive, league-altering one in the NBA: a potential case of salary cap circumvention involving superstar Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers. The entire story is fascinating and you can listen to/watch it in full here.

    The natural inclination when observing this story is to think of Joe Smith and the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2000. The league found that the team and Smith were working in tandem to circumvent the cap, as Smith took multiple short-term deals below his market value with the promise of a lucrative long-term deal once the team attained his Full Bird rights. The penalty was massive: Smith’s rights were voided, the team was fined, owner Glen Taylor had to step away from basketball operations for a period and lead executive Kevin McHale was forced to take an unpaid leave of absence. And none of that compared to the five consecutive first-round picks the league office docked from the Timberwolves.

    Cap circumvention is a massive sin in any sport, and the prevailing expectation seems to be that if the NBA can definitively prove that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer directed payments to Leonard off the books, Ballmer and his organization will risk facing massive penalties. Speculation has already begun about how that would look, particularly in terms of draft-related penalties, because the Clippers do not have actual control of any first-round picks until 2030. They have two significant obligations to the Sixers from the James Harden trade:

    2028 2029
    Clippers owe Sixers unprotected first-round pick Clippers owe Sixers first-round pick swap rights (top-three protected)

    To be clear, the NBA would not strip Los Angeles of picks it has already traded and actually penalize other teams for the Clippers’ wrongdoing. If the NBA concluded that there was wrongdoing worth punishing in the form of docking three first-round picks, for example, they would take away picks that the Clippers actually own, even if that means waiting until the next decade.

    If there is any non-Sixers development that would benefit the long-term health of the franchise in the next five years, it would be the Clippers falling into a state of mediocrity or worse. As has been covered here extensively over the last year, there is a world in which the Harden trade of 2023 eventually nets the Sixers two premium draft picks that ease their transition into a post-Joel Embiid world.

    Are there any possible ramifications of Torre’s reporting that could lead to a worse outlook for the Clippers two years from now? Perhaps Leonard’s contract being voided is one, but that would actually gift the Clippers cap space to pursue a more reliable star.

    Ballmer has already flatly denied all accusations of salary cap circumvention, and it would take a mountain of evidence to give the NBA comfort going after the richest owner in the league by far. But if the hammer does come down on the Clippers, the Sixers could be beneficiaries.

    MORE: VJ Edgecombe discusses offseason work, season ahead with PhillyVoice

    Cam Thomas takes the qualifying offer. Will Quentin Grimes follow suit?

    Grimes’ restricted free agency is still ongoing, more than two months after he officially reached the open market for the first time in his NBA career. The same is true for two of the other three high-profile restricted free agents, as Chicago’s Josh Giddey and Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga remain without new deals. But Cam Thomas, always seen as the most likely of the foursome to take the qualifying offer, did just that last week. He has returned to the Brooklyn Nets on a one-year deal worth just under $6 million that comes with a no-trade clause and pathway to unrestricted free agency as a 24-year-old next summer.

    Thomas taking the qualifying offer was not shocking. In addition to being in a brutal, barren salary cap environment this summer with only one significant cap space player (Brooklyn), Thomas has perhaps the largest disconnect with the marketplace in terms of his optimal role on an NBA team. Thomas’ own team having all of the financial flexibility in the world and still declining to make him any long-term offer speaks volumes.

    With an Oct. 1 deadline to accept the qualifying offer, the clock is beginning to tick on Grimes, Giddey and Kuminga if they want to go with the nuclear option. For Grimes in particular, the qualifying offer feels like a lose-lose scenario. There is some theoretical upside for the player and none for the team, but that upside will be tremendously difficult to reach.

    When Grimes emerged as a dynamic three-level scorer in a two-month audition with the Sixers, he was the most important trade deadline acquisition on a team that would be remembered as an abject failure. His blossoming was a much-needed organizational win, and he received every chance to prove he was capable of surpassing expectations.

    But of the four talented young guards expected to suit up for the Sixers next year, Grimes is clearly fourth in terms of long-term importance. If Grimes prevents the Sixers from securing him on a long-term deal or making him a trade asset by taking the qualifying offer, it will be much easier for the Sixers to discard the goal of maximizing his talents in favor of providing Jared McCain and VJ Edgecombe with as much runway as possible.

    Grimes has made about $11 million in four NBA seasons despite spending much of that time as a definitively good player. He has been traded three times; two of those deals came despite Grimes giving his team quality production. Someone so familiar with the situational volatility that comes with being an NBA player should have a strong understanding of the importance of long-term security. Grimes will not get a deal that is commensurate with his ability and room for improvement, but taking the qualifying offer backs him into a corner. He would be a bad break or two away from missing out on the three- or four-year deal every free agent hopes to sign.

    Jared McCain says he is ‘on pace’ for training camp

    It has been nearly nine months since Jared McCain underwent a season-ending meniscus surgery, cutting short an electric rookie campaign at 23 games. McCain was the clear favorite to win Rookie of the Year before the knee injury sidelined him; even without playing after the second week of December his torrid scoring run was the most exciting and encouraging aspect of the 2024-25 Sixers season. McCain, the No. 16 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, proved that he has legitimate star upside. His brilliant shooting touch was as advertised and he showed considerably better on-ball scoring chops than anyone would have guessed as an NBA rookie.

    McCain accompanied the Sixers for Summer League in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas and worked out with the team in a limited capacity, but did not play in games. At an event for the renaming of the Sixers’ arena – the Wells Fargo Center is now officially the Xfinity Mobile Arena, by the way – McCain spoke to the media and reportedly indicated he is optimistic about being fully prepared for training camp in just a matter of weeks.

    “Right now, I’m on pace,” McCain said, according to the Associated Press.

    The Sixers have no reason to rush McCain back, but this far removed from his surgery, it is not too challenging to imagine the 21-year-old being a full go. The team’s eventual depth at guard once Grimes’ free agency is resolved has been discussed frequently, but without McCain, this team does not have a viable backup point guard right now. They need McCain to handle the ball when Tyrese Maxey is off the floor.

    MORE: McCain’s case to be a starter

    A Delaware Blue Coats legend departs

    It is hard for any player to accumulate more experience and respect with an NBA G League affiliate than Jared Brownridge has with the Delaware Blue Coats. Dating back to their days as the 87ers, the 6-foot-3 guard has been firing threes in Delaware. Brownridge’s eight-year tenure with the organization has come to an end, as he was part of a trade near the end of August.

    Speaking of the Blue Coats, the Sixers named Vice President of Player Personnel Ariana Andonian as the first-ever female general manager of the Blue Coats on Friday.

    A possible Sixers target goes overseas

    As soon as Guerschon Yabusele departed Philadelphia after one strong year – leaving the Sixers to sign with the rival New York Knicks at the taxpayer’s mid-level exception – how the Sixers attempted to piece together a quality power forward rotation became of interest. One free agent whose fit seemed clear was Trey Lyles, who does and does not check a lot of the same boxes as Yabusele (even if it looks a whole lot different).

    Lyles, a 10-year NBA veteran, does not come with a ton of upside, but his stable skills would have come in handy for a Sixers team that could have even used an innings-eater at the four. Lyles, however, will not be joining the Sixers in the near future, as he has reportedly agreed to a contract with Real Madrid. He will be taking his talents overseas.

    Speaking of Yabusele, the 29-year-old had a dominant EuroBasket performance for Team France last week, posting 36 points against Poland:

    Yabusele and the Knicks will face the Sixers in a pair of preseason games on the aforementioned Abu Dhabi trip. New York’s front office is hoping he can be a critical component new head coach Mike Brown’s bench in their pursuit of a championship.

    MORE: Why Sixers declined to match Yabusele’s offer from Knicks

    Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam
    Follow PhillyVoice on Twitter: @thephillyvoice

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    Adam Aaronson

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  • Knicks Insider Has Major Update on Contract Extension for $60 Million Big

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    A New York Knicks insider has supplied a huge update on a potential contract extension for a valued Knicks big man.

    New York finds itself with a massive shot at glory ahead of it in 2025-26.

    Achilles tendon ruptures to three then-Eastern Conference All-Stars have cracked open a championship window for recent perpetual also-rans like the Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers.

    Both star-studded squads have finished with impressive records and won playoff series in recent seasons, but neither has broken through to an NBA Finals berth with its current core.

    More news: NBA Insider Provides Ominous Season Prediction for Lakers Superstar LeBron James

    That could change in 2026, with Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton, and then-Milwaukee Bucks point guard Damian Lillard (now with the Portland Trail Blazers) all sidelined for quite possibly the entire season.

    Last season, New York finished with a 51-31 record and made its first East Finals in 25 years. Still, it wasn’t good enough for owner James Dolan, who fired head coach Tom Thibodeau in the summer.

    The Knicks brought in two-time Coach of the Year Mike Brown to bring them to the next level. Team president Leon Rose also inked a pair of talented vets, power forward Guerschon Yabusele and guard Jordan Clarkson, to bolster his bench.

    Led by All-NBA stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, New York boasts one of the most talented top sixes in the East. All-Defensive forward OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges help man the perimeter, while some question remains about whether Brown should start guard Josh Hart or center Mitchell Robinson — both of whom started at different points during the playoffs — next year.

    APRIL 19: Karl-Anthony Towns #32, Jalen Brunson #11 and Mitchell Robinson #23 of the New York Knicks react against the Detroit Pistons during the second quarter in Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round…


    Getty Images/Sarah Stier

    Robinson, 27, is in the final season of a four-year, $60 million contract, and is now eligible for a veteran contract extension with New York.

    The 7-footer has been a constant injury risk for most of his career. Since his third pro season, 2020-21, Robinson has missed 40 or more games three separate times.

    More news: Do Bulls Already Have Franchise Cornerstone on Roster? Insider Weighs In

    Last year, Robinson missed all but 64 bouts while recovering from an ankle surgery. In his 17 healthy regular season contests (three starts), Robinson averaged 5.1 points on 66.1 percent shooting from the floor and 68.4 percent shooting from the free throw line, 5.9 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, 0.9 steals and 0.8 assists in 17.1 minutes per.

    But he was a critical contributor during the playoffs, his mobility and rim protection helped shore up the club’s big man defense while Towns handled most of the offense.

    James L. Edwards III of The Athletic opines that, warts and all, Robinson is a keeper for a Knicks team hoping to contend.

    “The oft-injured big man was one of the most dominant players in the postseason, and he’s currently eligible for an extension,” writes Edwards. “The version of Robinson we most recently watched is an All-Defense candidate. He would be in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year.”

    More news: Clippers Star Exits EuroBasket Game with Concerning Injury

    In fairness, you need to play for a few more than 17 games to earn that kind of hardware.

    “What team wouldn’t hold onto a player like that? Well, the Knicks know Robinson better than anyone, and he’s been unable to stay on the court due to various injuries. I’ve gotten the sense that New York would be willing to sign Robinson to a team-friendly extension that covers them in the event he continues to get hurt,” writes Edwards. “On the flip side, I’m sure Robinson points to his performances in the postseason and believes he can get one more nice deal from the Knicks or someone else if he’s able to stay healthy in a contract year.”

    For all the latest NBA news and rumors, head over to Newsweek Sports.

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  • Trae Young shines in Atlanta Hawks 121-116 victory over New York Knicks

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    Trae Young had 23 points, 10 assists and six rebounds as his Atlanta Hawks beat the New York Knicks 121-116 win Wednesday night State Farm Arena. It marked his seventh career 20-point, 10-assist game vs. them (regular season and playoffs).

    Head Coach Quin Snyder, Zaccharie Risacher, and Jalen Johnson joined Trae Young at the podium to discuss the victory.

    Risacher, the first overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft, admitted to reporters what gave him the confidence ahead of his big 33-point night Wednesday night.

    “He basically tells me to shoot the f—ing ball,” Risacher said. “That’s not just from him. That’s from everybody on the coaching staff and my teammates. It helps with my confidence.”

    Dyson Daniels dunks the basketball during an NBA game between the New York Knicks and the Atlanta Hawks inside State Farm Arena on Wednesday, November 6, 2024. (Photo: Itoro N. Umontuen/The Atlanta Voice)

    Risacher is shooting 27% from three-point range this season.

    “I knew it was bound to happen eventually and I know it’s going to continue to happen with the way he’s been playing,” Young said of Risacher. “I struggled my first couple of months into my rookie year, and I was in Rookie of the Year debates in the second half. You’re going to go through ups and downs, especially in your rookie year. I know he wants to win, I know he wants to contribute. I just want him to always stay positive and keep his head on the right path.”

    “His progress isn’t going to be linear,” Snyder said. “He’s got to stay at it. We have confidence in him if he makes shots or he doesn’t. Today, he was really good on the defensive glass, as well.”

    The Hawks will face off against Detroit on Friday. They’ll be back at State Farm Arena Saturday night against the Chicago Bulls.

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    Itoro N. Umontuen

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  • Minnesota Timberwolves trading Karl-Anthony Towns to New York Knicks

    Minnesota Timberwolves trading Karl-Anthony Towns to New York Knicks

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    MINNEAPOLIS — WCCO has confirmed the Minnesota Timberwolves are trading Karl-Anthony Towns to New York Knicks.

    A source told WCCO Sports Director Mike Max that, in return, the Timberwolves will reportedly get Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. According to the Associated Press, the wolves will also receive a first-round draft pick.

    Towns was drafted first overall by the Timberwolves in 2015 and has spent his entire career with Minnesota.

    In a post on X Friday night, Karl Anthony Towns posted “…”

    The upside for the 7-footer is a return to his roots, having grown up in New Jersey. He’ll also be reunited with coach Tom Thibodeau, who spent 2 1/2 seasons with Minnesota after being hired in Towns’ second year.  

    Earlier this month, CBS Sports released its list of the 100 best NBA players entering the 2024-25 season and the four-time all-star was named 38th best in the league. 

    Despite suffering a torn meniscus in March, Towns averaged over 21 points and eight rebounds per game during the regular season.

    In return, the Wolves are getting back an three-time all-star power forward in Randle and a sharpshooter in DiVincenzo. 

    Randle was drafted seventh overall in 2014 by the Los Angeles Lakers, but has spent the last five seasons with the Knicks. He averaged 24 points and just over nine rebounds in 46 games last season before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. The Knicks said then that Randle would be re-evaluated in five months. Asked last week if Randle would be fully ready for camp, Thibodeau said, “Uh, yeah, I think so.”

    DiVincenzo is a 2018 first round draft pick and has spent time with the Milwaukee Bucks, Sacramento Kings, Toronto Raptors, Golden State Warriors and the Knicks. He made just over 40% of his 3-point attempts in 81 games in New York last season. 

    The Timberwolves are coming off a Western Conference Finals appearance and a regular season record of 56-25, their second-best in franchise history. The team’s first preseason game is Friday, Oct. 4 against the Lakers, with regular season play beginning Oct. 22. 

    Towns will make his return to Target Center on Thursday, Dec. 19 when The Timberwolves host the Knicks.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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    Nick Lentz

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  • Derrick Rose’s complicated legacy needs to reconcile the brilliant with the brutal

    Derrick Rose’s complicated legacy needs to reconcile the brilliant with the brutal

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    It was one of the ugliest off-court moments in recent NBA history. After Derrick Rose was found not liable for the alleged gang rape of his former girlfriend in 2016, jurors took pictures with the former league MVP outside the Los Angeles courthouse.

    Rose, the longtime Chicago Bull, was free to start his career with the New York Knicks as just a basketball player, a former superstar felled by injuries who was trying to approach his previous heights after repeated recoveries knocked him off his seemingly divined path. That is a story, as sports fans, we have seen before and innately understand. He wouldn’t have to face the pesky distractions of an ongoing case or the incongruous blemish a different verdict would have caused. The verdict made it easier to forget about the case and focus on his career, if you were so inclined.

    Rose went on to play in the NBA for eight more seasons, a noble professional career he ended officially on Thursday when he announced his retirement. After some rocky years trying to relocate his early brilliance, he became a valuable depth guard and a veteran mentor. Rose’s path, strictly on the court, is similar to the career arc of Vince Carter, who will go into the Hall of Fame next month in no small part for figuring out that transition better than any player ever.

    With Rose, it isn’t that easy, is it? Nor should it be. Being found not liable is not the same thing as being found innocent. And if Rose is allowed to speak glowingly about how basketball was his first love and how it has allowed him to grow and evolve, then it is only right that his retirement serves as an opportunity to remind us who he was as one of the league’s brightest stars.

    And for at least one moment, he was awful — and it showed us how unwell our culture was at the same time.

    Almost by definition, a civil trial asks a jury to determine whether the plaintiff’s or defendant’s version of events is more believable. Even without spending time getting into the history of women’s sexual history being used against them in cases like this one — and that is a hell of a sentence fragment to consider — what Rose conceded did happen was and remains jarring.

    • Yes, he and his friends went over to have sex with the woman, who was Rose’s girlfriend for two years.

    • Yes, Rose repeatedly sent sexually explicit videos to the woman, asking her to engage in group sex, despite her refusal.

    • No, Rose did not understand the concept of consent.

    Those things aren’t up for debate. Sure, it would be naive to think some of those things don’t happen regularly with other athletes, celebrities and just regular people. That does not make it OK to slide the findings of the case under the on-court moments of a memorable and unique career. Those things did happen; that was how he operated in this instance.

    That it happened 11 years ago and was tried eight years ago is irrelevant. Yes, Rose put together a remarkable career, a hometown player bringing one of the league’s marquee teams out of a lost decade and into the thick of title contention. It is understandable that Rose’s fans, and particularly his Chicagoan fans, developed a deep emotional link to him.

    That doesn’t condone us forgetting about the people for whom Rose’s continued presence in the league made it harder to follow the sport. Rose’s case reminded us of the entitlement that athletes can enjoy and from which they can benefit. Rose likely wouldn’t have been impacted by this, but the NBA and NBPA collectively bargained a new policy on domestic abuse, sexual violence and child abuse that went into effect within a year of Rose’s case ending. It is an imperfect policy because we live in an imperfect society, and we cannot say if it has changed the behavior of people within the league. Incidents still occur, of course, and it can sometimes feel as if the main thing the policy has done is make team-building easier.

    All of that makes Rose’s retirement complex. It is nearly impossible to hold what he did on the court and what the trial revealed about him together, but it is also irresponsible not to try. We don’t live in a world that affords us that luxury. Any attempt to separate the two is fundamentally selfish, an effort to neatly cordon off the brilliant from the brutal.

    The best thing about being a sports fan is discovering what humans are capable of in exceptional circumstances. It’s the worst thing, too.

    (Photo: Elsa/Getty Images)

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    The New York Times

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  • Sixers Eastern Conference preview: Will the Mikal Bridges trade make the Knicks a championship-caliber team?

    Sixers Eastern Conference preview: Will the Mikal Bridges trade make the Knicks a championship-caliber team?

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    With much of the Sixers’ 2024-25 roster locked in more than a month removed from the start of a franchise-altering free agency, the time has come to evaluate their opposition in the Eastern Conference: of last season’s playoff teams in the East, which ones pose the biggest threats to the Sixers, and how do the teams match up with this new-look team?

    Up second is the team who eliminated the Sixers from last year’s playoffs: the New York Knicks.

    Sixers Eastern Conference preview: The Celtics aren’t going anywhere

    The Knicks fell to the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the playoffs last year after being absolutely devastated by injuries. Julius Randle missed the last multiple months of the regular season and the entire playoffs while OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson missed plenty of time in both the regular season and the playoffs and Bojan Bogdanovic went down during the first round. By the time the team was eliminated, Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart were both hurt as well.

    Committing to their brand of collecting former Villanova Wildcats, the Knicks traded Bogdanovic along with five first-round picks, one first-round pick swap and more — an absolutely gigantic collection of assets — to the Brooklyn Nets to acquire Mikal Bridges.

    Despite Bridges being in the fold, the team prioritized Anunoby over starting center Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency. Anunoby returned on a massive five-year deal, but Hartenstein departed for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

    But the most significant move the Knicks made for their long-term health might have been convincing Brunson to sign a four-year extension at a rate considerably below his market value, which should enable them to eventually ink Bridges to a long-term deal along with Brunson and Anunoby, with the potential for Randle to stick around as well if he and the team can find a reasonable number to compromise at.

    Roster changes

    How exactly will the Knicks look different next year, aside from Randle regaining full health? Here is what Knicks President Leon Rose was up to in a busy offseason:

    Added: Mikal Bridges (trade), Keita Bates-Diop (trade), Pacome Dadiet (No. 25 overall pick in NBA Draft), Tyler Kolek (No. 34 overall pick in NBA Draft), Cam Payne (free agency)

    Retained: OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa

    Extended: Jalen Brunson (four years, $156.5 million)

    Lost: Isaiah Hartenstein, Bojan Bogdanovic, Alec Burks, Shake Milton, Mamadi Diakite

    Perhaps the biggest question surrounding the Knicks at this point is how a returning Randle will fit alongside not just Bridges, but the full-fledged superstar version of Brunson that has taken the league by storm. Randle is an extremely ball-dominant player — and, to be fair, he has become a formidable offensive force — but he is not nearly the scorer or creator that Brunson is. In the era of the NBA’s punitive second apron, would the Knicks be better off simply not paying Randle when they already have multiple high-level offensive players?

    The most concerning departure, clearly, is that of Hartenstein, who established himself as a quality starting center thanks to excellent rebounding and rim protection, pristine touch around the rim and some impressive passing chops. Not only did the Knicks lose a terrific player who was integral to their success last year, but they now find their center depth to be shaky. Robinson is a good player when healthy, but is constantly battling injuries and is not quite as good as Hartenstein. The team was able to bring Achiuwa back to be the team’s backup center. 

    Depth chart projection

    The Knicks have seven players on their roster who are without question starting-caliber players. Bringing Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart off the bench is an unbelievable luxury, blossoming youngster Miles “Deuce” McBride is well on his way to reaching that status, and Achiuwa is a viable backup center. Former Sixer Cam Payne is a perfectly reasonable 10th man for any team, and gives the Knicks some additional ball-handling that they may need as McBride continues to grow as a creator. 

    PG SG SF PF C
    Jalen Brunson Mikal Bridges OG Anunoby Julius Randle Mitchell Robinson
    Miles McBride Donte DiVincenzo Keita Bates-Diop Josh Hart Precious Achiuwa
    Cam Payne Jericho Sims

    On a team full of quality rotation players, though, the center rotation sticks out like a sore thumb. Robinson has only played at least 70 games once in his career and has played fewer than 60 games in half of his professional seasons. Achiuwa has enough athleticism and defensive versatility to be an acceptable backup center in the regular season, but might be optimized as a change-of-pace sort of player like he was against the Sixers in the first round last year. Jericho Sims has continually failed to leave his mark and prove he is a rotation-caliber center.

    Matching up with the Sixers

    The Sixers and Knicks meeting in the playoffs again feels very realistic, perhaps in a second-round matchup where the winner goes on to face the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. It is surely a series that everybody would love to see again, particularly with Bridges and Paul George now added to the mix.

    But when teams prepare for a playoff series, their primary objective is often limiting the other team’s best player. So to me, the most intriguing storylines here are Brunson and Embiid, two superstars separated by nearly a foot and almost 100 pounds who each find ways to torment opposing defenses.

    The Knicks could be particularly vulnerable against Embiid moving forward, as Hartenstein was a major part of their schemes against the former NBA MVP. Robinson can do a stellar job against Embiid for moments at a time because of his incredible length, but he is far too foul-happy to be trusted in a big-minute role against someone as adept at inciting whistles as Embiid. They do have the requisite perimeter defenders to at least contain George and Tyrese Maxey, which is not something most teams can say.

    Meanwhile, the Sixers have added more pieces capable of being thrown at Brunson this summer. Kelly Oubre Jr. was outstanding while defending the Knicks’ All-Star point guard for the first two games of last season’s playoff series, but Brunson got the better of him later on (though at times Oubre stood his ground and Brunson simply made difficult shots). Caleb Martin is a tenable option against Brunson, and George might even be for moments at a time if his legs are fresh. If Randle does resume in his role with some sort of significant offensive workload, though, his bruising nature at the power forward position could also cause issues for a Sixers team lacking muscle at the four.

    The Knicks seem like a much safer bet to win a ton of regular season games than the Sixers, in part because of their continuity and in part because they are less reliant on players with overly extensive injury histories. But if these two teams were to meet in a playoff series while at full strength… get your popcorn ready.

    Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam

    Follow PhillyVoice on Twitter: @thephillyvoice

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    Adam Aaronson

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  • Jalen Brunson has agreed to the greatest financial favor in NBA history

    Jalen Brunson has agreed to the greatest financial favor in NBA history

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    LAS VEGAS — With a chance to sign the second nine-figure contract of his career, Jalen Brunson was unavailable.

    Negotiations, if you could even call them that, on a probable extension could not begin until the clock struck midnight (ET) Friday. Yet, long before any legalese came his way, the All-Star point guard could guess his team’s offer.

    The New York Knicks were about to hand Brunson all that they could, even if the deal would not be commensurate with a player of his stature.

    The team was capped at how much it could pay Brunson, limited to a contract that would earn him far less than one he could sign if he were to wait until 2025 free agency and re-up with the organization then.

    Brunson decided well before he became eligible that he wanted to remain in New York, that he had fallen in love with the franchise, that he valued the security of a dollar today versus more dollars tomorrow, that he wanted to continue playing for head coach Tom Thibodeau and with his Villanova buddies and that he hoped to challenge for a title on a squad that considers itself a contender this upcoming season and beyond.

    But once Friday arrived, Brunson had more important plans.

    Instead of prioritizing business, Brunson was chilling with his dear friend and teammate, Josh Hart. He was so eager to keep hanging out with his team that he put off re-signing … because he was too busy hanging out with his team.

     

    Brunson put pen to paper on the extension Friday afternoon, a historic moment for the Knicks. No one else in league history has recommitted himself to a franchise in this fashion.

    The extension will pay him $156.5 million over four years, $113 million guaranteed less than he could have received had he waited until free agency. No player has ever left this much money on the table — especially not one in the early part of his prime.

    The NBA’s most famous cases of major discounts occurred with players who had already received giant paydays. Dirk Nowitzki took a three-year, $25 million deal to return to the Dallas Mavericks in 2014 when he could have earned nearly four times as much had he chosen to, but Nowitzki was already in his mid-30s. Tim Duncan chopped chunks off his salary so he could play forever with the San Antonio Spurs, but he was an established vet by that point.

    Brunson is opting for the cheaper contract today instead of hitting free agency a year from now when he would be eligible for a max contract worth a projected $269.1 million over five years.

    There were financial arguments for why locking in the money was worthwhile. Brunson appreciated the security an extension would provide. This is still more money than some CEOs make in a lifetime. He may as well protect himself against injury.

    Signing an extension now also makes him eligible for his next extension a year earlier than if he had waited until free agency to sign the five-year pact. Those extra 365 days could matter.

    But there’s a reason this is a remarkable moment. The Knicks are now open for business in an era bound to be dominated by a punitive collective bargaining agreement that will stifle the flexibility of any hyper-expensive team.

    Based only on the dollars, Brunson just enacted the greatest financial favor in NBA history.

    And it’s not close.

    He signed with one priority in mind: Take whatever reasonable measures he could to go after that ring. The Knicks can now move forward knowing they have Brunson under a team-friendly contract through at least 2028. His new deal will kick in for the 2025-26 season, and he has a player option for the final year. It comes with all the bells and whistles, including a 15 percent trade kicker, a league source said.

    New York’s hopes of staying below the dreaded second apron, not just in 2024-25 but also in the following season and possibly beyond, just turned far more realistic. The Knicks, who traded five first-round picks (including four unprotected ones) for Mikal Bridges earlier this offseason, already believe their title window is open. The Brunson extension just scooted the glass up even more, especially through 2026.

    Bridges is on a bargain contract until then, making $23.3 million this season and $24.9 million after that. Brunson will earn in the realm of $34.9 million during his first year of the deal when the Knicks will have $153.2 million committed to nine players: Brunson, Bridges, Hart, OG Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson, Donte DiVincenzo, Miles McBride, Pacome Dadiet and Tyler Kolek. The second apron projects to be approximately $207.8 million that season.

    Staying under $207.8 million in payroll would create valuable resources for the Knicks. If they go over that threshold, they kiss goodbye to the midlevel exception, the ability to make most trades and more.

    Brunson may receive the chance to earn most of the money he gave up back. As The Athletic detailed earlier this week, the extension sets him up to hit free agency in 2028 following his 10th year in the NBA. He will be eligible for the largest max contract a player can receive, worth a projected $417 million over five years. If Brunson were to sign that, spiked salaries in 2028-29 and 2029-30 would narrow the gap.

    But 2028 is four years into the future. No one knows what will occur between now and then.

    Players get hurt. They regress. Small point guards such as Brunson are historically more prone to such misfortune. For whatever reason, the Knicks could fall off by then and choose to turn in a different direction. They could employ a new front office or coach. This is the NBA, where sweeping changes can occur overnight, let alone over four years.

    There is no guarantee Brunson will make back this money. But of course, he didn’t do this to get rich. He did it to hand his team the best chance to win.

    (Top photo of Jalen Brunson: Jesse D. Garrabrant / NBAE via Getty Images) 

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    The New York Times

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  • Report: Rumored Sixers target OG Anunoby returns to Knicks

    Report: Rumored Sixers target OG Anunoby returns to Knicks

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    The New York Knicks just keep on pushing their chips in: not even 24 hours after acquiring Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets, the team agreed to a five-year, $212.5 million deal with OG Anunoby, solidifying themselves as having one of the best and most versatile wing tandems in the NBA.

    Early indications following the Bridges trade were that the Knicks were still going to prioritize keeping Anunoby in the fold — even if it meant losing center Isaiah Hartenstein — and those whispers were true. 

    It is a massive deal for Anunoby, a wonderful player in his own right but not exactly a star-caliber player as of now. The Knicks appear to have locked in a core that includes Jalen Brunson, Bridges, Anunoby, Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, Mitchell Robinson and Miles McBride. Not too shabby.

    With the Sixers’ reported pursuit of Paul George reportedly dying out and the team seemingly looking elsewhere, many connected them to Anunoby as they seek a high-profile player to put next to their All-Star duo of Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, with a wing being the ideal form of said player.

    But with Anunoby securing a five-year deal worth an average of $42.5 million per year to remain in New York, it is evident that the Sixers likely never stood a chance of prying him away: the most they could have offered Anunoby was a four-year deal worth $181,890,000, good for an average annual value of $45.4 million.

    It is hard to imagine Anunoby leaving an ideal situation for him in New York and sacrificing the security of a fifth year for a very slight bump in annual pay. And, to be frank, the Sixers signing him to that hypothetical deal would have set off massive alarm bells.

    Anunoby is a great player who would fit well on just about any team, and impacts winning on both ends of the floor. But he is not nearly as good of a scorer as the vast majority of players in his new price range and fits best as a fourth option on offense (which is what he will be in New York moving forward). Additionally, he constantly grapples with injuries that prevent him from staying on the floor consistently. 

    It is entirely understandable for the Knicks to pay him whatever was required to keep him around as they go all-out in their pursuit of a championship — even if the contract has a high probability of aging poorly. But the Sixers avoided potential catastrophe here.

    Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam

    Follow PhillyVoice on Twitter: @thephillyvoice

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    Adam Aaronson

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  • Knicks trade for Mikal Bridges, raising the stakes for Sixers in pivotal offseason

    Knicks trade for Mikal Bridges, raising the stakes for Sixers in pivotal offseason

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    An absolute stunner broke late Tuesday night, with fewer than 24 hours remaining before the start of the 2024 NBA Draft: the New York Knicks will acquire Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for a package including four unprotected first-round picks, a lightly-protected first-round pick and a future first-round pick swap, as was first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

    Already referred to by many as the “Villanova Knicks,” New York now has four former Wildcats set to be critical pieces of their rotation moving forward: Bridges, superstar guard Jalen Brunson, sharpshooter Donte DiVincenzo and do-it-all wing Josh Hart.

    With the Boston Celtics firmly cemented as the Eastern Conference’s best for the time being, the Knicks have chosen Bridges as the piece worth cashing in the vast majority of their assets for in hopes of catching up to defending champions. And now, there is more than one team that is head and shoulders above the Sixers in terms of present day talent.

    Perhaps the most obvious ripple effects this move has on the Sixers are that there is another team in their conference with the potential to seriously contend for a championship, and that Bridges — seen by many as an ideal fit alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey — is officially off the table.

    The intrigue of these four storied college teammates joining forces in the pros is fascinating, and the Knicks are filled with great players who are likable characters. But it is fair to wonder if four unprotected picks and several other assets for a player who has yet to make an All-Star team is the right path forward. Bridges is tremendous, and will fit like a glove in New York, but is he good enough to warrant a collection of draft choices like this? For what it’s worth, this archetype of trade has come back to bite the team acquiring the “star” more often than not.

    But, to be fair, with the Celtics not going anywhere, New York doing all they can to maximize their championship window now that Brunson has emerged as a full-fledged superstar is understandable, and to a degree, even commendable.

    Bridges, who the Sixers infamously drafted in 2018 before trading him to the Phoenix Suns during his introductory press conference in which he donned a Sixers hat, has become one of the most respected two-way wings in the entire NBA, and since being the centerpiece of the Kevin Durant trade that sent him to Brooklyn, he has made major strides as a scorer. He was overtasked as a go-to scorer in Brooklyn, and that will not be an issue anymore as he reunites with Brunson.

    The next domino to fall here is the status of soon-to-be Knicks free agent OG Anunoby. As recently as Tuesday evening, it appeared Anunoby had enough negotiating leverage to receive just about any contract he desired from New York this summer. Now, with Bridges in the fold, the Knicks are not exactly desperate to bring Anunoby back. 

    If the Knicks were to let Anunoby fetch offers elsewhere and contemplate leaving New York, the Sixers loom as a potential fit for the acclaimed two-way wing.

    Early indications are that the Knicks will prioritize reaching a deal with Anunoby in the near future, which would signal the exit of incumbent starting center Isaiah Hartenstein. But it is not difficult at all to imagine a world in which the Knicks —with DiVincenzo, Bridges, Hart and Julius Randle all under contract moving forward — opt not to give Anunoby the massive deal he is seeking and instead solidify their center position by bringing back Hartenstein.

    As for the Nets, this was the right move: Bridges is a tremendous player, but was not leading the Nets anywhere promising in the near future given his lack of support. Accumulating as many draft picks as possible and accelerating the team’s rebuild was always the right call, and they furthered those goals by promptly trading a few of Phoenix’s future picks to the Houston Rockets to regain some of the draft capital they sent Houston when they acquired former Sixer James Harden a few years back. Word quickly trickled out that Houston wants to offer those picks back to Phoenix to try to get Durant.

    We have reached maximum levels of chaos, and tonight I am grateful I do not cover the Brooklyn Nets or Houston Rockets.

    Another question: how does all of this impact the free agency of Paul George? First the Sixers seemed like a very possible destination for the nine-time All-Star, then they were out, now there are conflicting reports regarding their interest in the star wing who has yet to strike a deal with the Los Angeles Clippers. Over the last few days, there was steam behind the idea of George forcing a sign-and-trade from the Clippers to a contending team without the requisite cap space to sign him on their own — perhaps using the threat of heading to Philadelphia as leverage to force the Clippers’ hand — but many speculated that destination would be New York. They are almost certainly out of those talks now (if they ever took place to begin with), which could reopen the George-to-Philadelphia door.

    If the events of late Tuesday night are any indication, nobody actually knows what is in store over the course of the coming days and weeks. But it is going to be madness, and the Sixers could end up being right at the center of it all.

    Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam

    Follow PhillyVoice on Twitter: @thephillyvoice

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    Adam Aaronson

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  • ‘Unfortunately, They Made Us Fall in Love’

    ‘Unfortunately, They Made Us Fall in Love’

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    Photo: Julia Nikhinson/AP

    It was always going to be an uphill battle. After a Game 6 in which the Knicks lost 116-103 to the Pacers and the pesky heartbeat of the team, Josh Hart, suffered an abdominal injury, the Knicks had their work cut out for them. Before tipoff, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski dropped a bomb that gave fans more reason to hope: Hart and OG Anunoby, who’d been out since Game 2, were both going to play. It seemed like it could really happen this time.

    Robert Quinn, a newish fan, says he had been a little nervous, but says, “knowing my Knicks? We got this.” But it’s looking grim: Pacers 70, Knicks 55 at the half. Victor Ng, an on-and-off follower of the team since the Patrick Ewing glory days of 1994, had bet on a very specific outcome: Knicks by four points. Now he’s saying, “I think FanDuel took my money.” But he turns philosophical all the same: “Being a fan is being on a rollercoaster. This season, they’re up and down but at least it’s ending up on a high note. So I can’t complain.” Then he adds, “if they can tie, they can win. If they’re not pulling within 8, they’re not coming back.”

    Bella, age 10, usually leans toward hockey, but she’d been pulled toward basketball by the playoff run. “They’re New York, I root for New York, I’m with New York.” She has a message: “to the Knicks, no matter what happens today, you’re an amazing team and we’re supporting you all the way.”

    At Mustang Harry’s, a block south of the Garden, fans are straining to see the TVs through the windows. Rich Templeton, a lifelong fan, has already been to two more bars nearby, Stout and The Triple Crown, and he says this patch of sidewalk was the best vantage point he’s found. “They’re coming back,” he says. “Donte [DiVincenzo] is gonna lead them back. Donte and [Jalen] Brunson. Donte’s got a little spunk to him and he can shoot the 3 ball.” How does he see the night going if the Knicks pull out a comeback victory? “It’s not Philadelphia, so I don’t expect things to be burned or anything, but I think it’ll be a nice lively atmosphere.”

    Tom, an 18-year-old who flew in from Naples, Florida, disagrees: “If they win I think the city’s gonna burn the fuck down. Empire State Building’s going down, and Penn Station is burning to the ground. Simple as that.” He and his two friends have courtside seats, he says, arriving at halftime. They’re optimistic for a comeback but also realists. “It’s always a letdown, as Knicks fans. That’s what makes us loyal fans.”

    Back by the entrance to the Garden, a pair of vendors are hawking NEW YORK VS. EVERYBODY and JALEN MVP BRUNSON shirts. Another seller says of his prices, “If we win, this goes up.”

    Halfway through the fourth quarter, hope is fading. Fans start trickling out of the Garden onto the steps where Michael and his friend Kevin are standing. Michael says he’s walked past the arena on his commute every day for the past ten years. When we ask him whether he and Kevin are Knicks fans, Michael says, “We wish we weren’t after this game.” Kevin adds, “we overcame so much this season … just for it to end it like this.”

    Draco, a content creator and 76ers fan who watched as the Knicks eliminated his team two weeks ago, came up from Philly this morning “just to watch them lose.” He walks over to us, livestreaming from his phone, and also starts interviewing Michael and Kevin. “Y’all have so little faith in your team right now. There’s still six minutes left in the game. And y’all really leaving right now, what’s going on?” But they’re still proud. Michael says, “We grind, we grit, we work hard and I feel like at the end of the day like that’s what matters. We support them. We love them as players and as people you know, we protect them, we take care of our own.”

    Jeff Knight, a 38-year-old who’s been a fan since he was 6, tells me he’d headed for the exit after news spread inside the arena that Brunson had fractured his hand. Another fan, Adam Silvers, had been sitting in section 201, where the injury news spread as people got updates on their phones. When he got word, Silvers thought, “well, that’s the end of that.” He’d spent more than $800 on his tickets.

    Rami Evgi, a season-ticket holder for 30 years, says he knew the Knicks were going to lose from the beginning of the game. He left early because he couldn’t bear to see the ugly end. He’d flipped every other playoff ticket he had for the money, but he’d saved game 7 for himself. Even with the loss, he says, it was still the best Knicks season since 1999, when the Knicks lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the finals. This season, he says, was sweet because it was a surprise, “I didn’t even know if they would make the playoffs. If everybody was healthy, nobody could have stopped us.”

    Amber, a brand-new fan at 26, had seen them win in Philadelphia. She too is down, but she’s already relishing the memory: “They’ve done so well, honestly. A lot of the players got injured, but with the few players they have left, they did amazing. We’re sad, but honestly they did a good job.”

    Pat, 35, and Tracy, 36, are New Yorkers who paid $12,000 each for their center-court season tickets. But Tracy is, like her dad, a Celtics fan. “She is happily married to me, I believe,” Pat reassures us, and possibly himself. “She roots for the Knicks unless it’s against the Celtics.” Ever since Julius Randle got hurt in January, “it was always like, agh, the season’s probably not going to be great. But then everyone kept trying their guts out. And unfortunately, they made us fall in love. And then you know, just sucks to see someone try so fucking hard…”

    One of the first Pacers fans to leave the arena, when his team was up 17 with three minutes to go, is a lone guy in a golden-yellow team hoodie. A bunch of random Knicks fans immediately circle him, yelling “get the fuck out of here you bitch-ass” and “fuck the Pacers.” (It was more aggro posturing than actual threat.) The Pacers fan doesn’t seem to mind the taunting — his team was through, after all. A family of six dressed in Pacers jerseys, with three young children plus an infant in Mom’s arms, says they feel “amazing,” barely aware that Knicks fans are screaming at them to go home. Joe and Jack Judson, also Pacers fans, aren’t fazed by being outnumbered. Joe says, “that’s the thing about New York fans, they’re passionate.” The two spent $10,000 per ticket and Joe estimates that the trip cost about $27,000 altogether. Jack, his son, says it’s the best game he’s ever been to. He’s a rising senior at Purdue University in Indiana, and says his buddies back home are “electric.” His phone has been blowing up.

    After the final buzzer — Pacers 130, Knicks 109 — a swarm of mostly young men gather at the top of the escalators to Penn Station at 33rd street. United in their loss, they start chanting “Fuck Trae Young,” a player who is not on the Indiana Pacers nor is even in the playoffs. The animosity is still fresh from when Young’s Atlanta Hawks beat the Knicks in the first round in 2021.

    Silvers is optimistic: “This is probably year one for this core. They probably got three or four years in them. They got a lot of draft picks and a lot of capital. So they can go out and get a pretty big name. And Randle will be healthy and he gives the Knicks 25 and 10 easily every night.” Knight thinks the Knicks should part ways with Randle in the offseason, “based on how the Knicks played without him. Brunson took his game to a different level once Randle was out.” Silvers thinks “maybe they get someone like a Kevin Durant if he thinks MSG is cool enough now.”  Evgi thinks they need “another good guy, not Kevin Durant or Devin Booker, but a surprise, like Hartenstein. Just a good player.”

    Cops are patrolling the area, dispersing the crowds and drawing them down from lampposts. A fan jokes to his friend, “Knicks in 8,” suggesting that this was still their year. The crowd shifts to “fuck Tyrese,” the Pacers star, then “fuck Embiid,” the 76ers star. Anything is worthy of comment — including the entire sport of hockey, as they shift over to yelling “let’s go Rangers.” An altercation with a Knicks fan prompts an officer to shove him back, and several other cops step in to push the crowd away and firmly suggest that they all go home. The last chant before the police disperse them is “fuck the Celtics.” The city does not burn. The price of the T-shirts drops from $20 to $10.

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    Liz Boyd,Britina Cheng

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  • Knicks Game 7 preview: It’s do-or-die time at the Garden

    Knicks Game 7 preview: It’s do-or-die time at the Garden

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    New York Knicks’ Jalen Brunson (11) gestures to fans after making a three-point shot during the second half of Game 5 in an NBA basketball second-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers, Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in New York. The Knicks won 121-91. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)