Dust settles, slept on it, here's my thoughts dump:
- In retrospect, they didn't deal a 1st and 4 2nds to dump Kemba. They swapped a Denver pick for a Bucks pick with a better chance to be decent (lighter protections, further out with both teams having similar records lately). But moving 4 second-rounders to dump a 9 million dollar expiring does seem like a lot anyway.
- The other two trades..actually not bad. I spent a couple of weeks talking about how unenthusiastic I was about this draft once you get past 5 players (Ivey and Sharpe joining the obvious three). Trading out of 11 in this draft for picks that will potentially reach top-8 and top-12 protections next year, plus a top-4 unprotected 2025 pick isn't so bad. It also leaves New York with 4 potential picks in the vaunted double-draft.
- Duren (13th pick) for a projected late Denver selection and some second-rounders is even better. They upgraded that Denver pick after moving Duren in the next move IMO, and thus turned 4 second-rounders into a lottery selection Center...but that damned Kemba trade hurts this one.
- Now what does the Kemba trade mean for New York? Well...at least one more of the logjam vets has to be traded out for this cap space to be worth anything. So that's kind of a good thing. We want vets gone and this trade is like firing off a flare that says "we're dumping some contracts." There was already a Burks to Boston rumor brewing last night. One player out means 24 million in cap space and if they dump two or three that number gets higher.
- Here's where that 24 million figure gets interesting. That puts them in the top-5 teams with cap space. I've mentioned before that nobody's got cap space this offseason. There are only 4 teams with anything to offer free agents beyond exceptions and none of those teams are drawing player interest. So New York is in a solid position to convince someone substantial to sign...they don't have much competition after all.
- But what if it's Jalen Brunson? I don't hate it. Derrick Rose is probably the most valuable expiring we have and I suspect they shop him once a Jalen Brunson deal is locked in. Does it turn the Knicks into world-beaters? Hell no. But a Knicks team with Brunson/IQ/RJ/Obi/Mitch/Grimes/Sims/McBride/Keels/Montero/4 projected firsts in '23/an additional '25 first-rounder actually has enough to compete in any disgruntled superstar trades. The Dallas pick also gets better by stealing their second option after the KP trade.
- So Brunson becomes less of "the target" and more of "a consolidation piece." They turn two to five players we want gone into one better guy...and it doesn't actually HAVE to be Brunson. I think the eye rolls yesterday were because Brunson is likely staying in Dallas. But between RFAs and stars declining their player options, if any negotiation gets dicey then we are in the best position to strike.
- And
@RickyGQ is right. The Knicks made an aggressive play yesterday...too aggressive for most of our tastes. But if they start the offseason by aggressively courting cap space in what is clearly an incomplete move; then that points to more assertive moves to come. At a minimum, we're getting off one more contract. I think it'll be more like 2 or 3 contracts and I suspect that the real goal is chase a star rather than Brunson. Brunson just gives them cover from disappointed fans (like what happened with Ivey).
- None of this should absolve the Knicks FO from us being annoyed. They haven't made their direction clear and won't address the media or fans to give us an indication. Their plan is clearly incomplete and they've only given us Jalen Brunson as a name to watch for. That's hardly enough. But I think it's notable that there's obviously more to come. We won't have a clear picture for what they're doing until free agency begins. I'll decide on hating, loving, or anything in between after the smoke settles.
- And lastly...I still want a Dejounte Murray trade.
I won't even bother trying to speak on this anymore if its just going to continue to be misconstrued. By all accounts they tried with Ivey and failed, so I'll just let it go.
My nikka Big Dik @storyteller breaking shyt down for nikkas.
But at the end of the day it’s still fukk the Knicks bum ass FO and that bloated fakkit Leon Rose.
