Knicks Insider: "All Things Knicks"

mafra said:

I can see Brooklyn seeing Kyrie and DR as a sort of McCullum-Liliard pairing. I can see Kyrie being the type to prefer the second fiddle org, just like Kawhi with Clippers.

I think KD has Melo in him, in sense he wants challenger of MSG stage (bc he is smart enough to know what occurs if he succeeds).

I think it may be NYK that doesn?t want Kyrie as badly, and perhaps prefer AD and KL instead. Maybe even Rozier and DJ and Morris for the price of Kyrie or Kemba?

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This is my suspicion as well, that either Durant or the Knicks have indicated that they want to pursue other #2 stars and now Kyrie wants the narrative to be that he wanted Brooklyn all along.

I kind of feel like Kyrie is the ?Amare? signing of the Summer of Lebron. He is a big name, but no one?s 1st choice.

One internet report is speculating that the Nets will sign Kyrie and are hoping that Kyrie can then convince Durant to join him on the NBA?s ?littlest stage? in Brooklyn. Good luck with that Nets.

htr10 said:

For what it’s worth, I think we are seeing the Brooklyn PR machine in full effect trying to create an artificial hype for them just before free agency starts.

I’m reading on the internet how Brooklyn could potentially sign and trade D’Angelo Russell for AD. Umm, no. Compare that trade package with any other possible trade packages. NO wants Russell on a high salary deal with no attached draft picks instead of multiple players early in their rookie deals and multiple 1st round picks? C’mon.

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The NO Pelicans trading AD to the Nets for a sign & trade Russell plus Allen, would be an explosive trade in NY, especially if Kyrie also sign on to the Nets. that would raise the attendance in Barkley Center big-time.
The Pelicans would have a new look of Russell and True Holiday running the back-court having rookie Zion & Allen in the paint.

The Knicks 2019 offseason are going to be just like their previous offseason when it comes to the draft and the FA market !!!
NUTHING CHANGE with the Dolan Knicks !!!

htr10 said:

I kind of feel like Kyrie is the “Amare” signing of the Summer of Lebron. He is a big name, but no one’s 1st choice.

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The 2010 Amare signing may not have been a 10+Plus FA signing, but it was a 7+Plus good signing. Dum-Dum Walsh trading David Lee a couple weeks later for all of the Warriors trash players were STUPID. And Dolan falling victim to the Melo-trade (Kyrie) a few months later were Double-Stupid.
Melo's individual foolishness stopped the trio of Allen Iverson, Kenyon Martin, and Camby from taking the Denver Nuggets to the FINALS. All three players been to the FINALS with their previous team before becoming a Denver Nuggets. Even "Last-Shot" Chauncey Billups had to call out Melo's individual foolishness in the Denver Nuggets locker-room after losing in the first round of the playoffs .. which made Melo comment on leaving the Nuggets in the offseason in NYC.
Several of Boston players has been commenting on Kyrie individual foolishness at the end of the season, the same as the Nuggets players commented bout Carmelo Anthony after he was traded.

Wow, Griff has really changed his tune. AD?s camp certainly set him straight about there being no chance AD plays for the Pelicans even to start this season.

Griff has gone from saying he doesn?t want to trade AD to now ESPN is reporting that they are exploring a multi team deal and Griff wants any trade that involves 2019 draft picks done ?days before the 2019 draft?.

Well, the draft is June 20th. Today is June 10th. That gives a window of about 1 week to get a multi team deal done.

This situation sounds more and more like something the Knicks should avoid. We make a deal before the draft and then strike out in free agency, that is a lot of assets to drop for a 1 year rental on what will still be a bad team.

According to ESPN, Griff wants ?an All-Star player, a young player with All-Star potential, and 2 1st round picks?.

Looking at this last season?s All-Stars, only team that I could see having all that is Philly.

A bunch of recent All-Stars are free agents. New Orleans really wants a sign and trade? Seems silly.

A can?t even imagine a 3 team deal that gets this done. Knicks should run, not walk, away from trade negotiations here. This could end up even worse for us than the Melo trade.

RJ, Mitch and 2 first. Throw in Frank for good measure. Take it or leave it!

Good news about getting this done before free agency... if NY has AD... KD or somebody will come.

Sounds like Tatum, Brown, 4th pick gets it done.

Maybe Knicks deal 3rd pick for an all star caliber guy and flip him to NO with Mitch and picks?

Just remember... AD has reached playoffs twice in 7 years and rarely plays more than 70 games.

KL has never missed playoffs...

Anthony Davis would reportedly prefer to be traded to the Lakers or Knicks.
Davis presented management with a list of four teams when he made his initial trade demand, but he's since narrowed his focus to the Knicks and Lakers, according to sources of Shams Charania of The Athletic. Despite not being named on his original wishlist, the Celtics have been aggressive in their pursuit of AD, and they'd be willing to trade for him even without a long-term commitment. Davis will be a free agent in 2020.

Not news that Celtics probably have the best assets to get AD deal done, but likely are reluctant if Kyrie is leaving.

Knicks on the other hand don?t seem to have assets to get the deal done because Pelicans don?t like Knox. My hope is that this means we are holding back on offering MRob. MRob is a future star in this league.

The idea of trading RJ, MRob, 2 1st round picks, and also having to swing assets to a 3rd team to get an even better player to swing to the Pelicans, all for a guy who is a free agent in 1 year, makes me want to choke.

Another reason to stay out of the AD trade talks? The Lakers reportedly are going to do whatever it takes to get AD because they know that they are not in contention for any major free agents and they have to get a star to pair with Lebron this season.

Let the Lakers pay the price and then pursue AD in 2020 in free agency.

Interesting trade for AD proposed by Kevin Pelton for AD. I thought this was the best of the 5 deals Pelton proposed for the Pelsthough it was interesting the Celts were not one of the teams involved in any of the hypothetical trades. Knicks get to keep MRob in this deal.

New York Knicks

Pelicans get: Matthew Dellavedova, Billy Garrett, Frank Ntilikina, Dennis Smith Jr., Cedi Osman, 2019 No. 3 pick, 2021 Dallas first-round pick, 2022 Milwaukee first-round pick (top-10 protected 2022 and 2023, top-8 protected in 2024, otherwise 2024 and 2025 second-round picks)
Knicks get: Anthony Davis
Cavaliers get: Kevin Knox
EDITOR'S PICKS

• What top Anthony Davis trade contenders can actually offer
• Anthony Davis trades: Which team can make the best offer?

Kevin Pelton: This turns into a three-team trade because the Pelicans may not value Knox as highly as other teams. So after getting Knox, Ntilikina and Smith from the Knicks along with this year's No. 3 pick and the 2021 unprotected Mavericks pick, Griffin also flips Knox to his former team. In exchange for sending out Knox and taking back Dellavedova's salary -- helping the Cavaliers avoid the luxury tax -- New Orleans gets Osman, a Griffin draft pick in the last year of a cheap contract at $2.9 million, and takes an interesting gamble on the Milwaukee pick that won't convey until after Giannis Antetokounmpo hits unrestricted free agency.
The net result for the Pelicans is they add young talent at point guard and small forward, this year's No. 3 pick and have two extra first-round picks coming down the road. That's a steep price for New York to pay, but the Knicks get to hold on to center Mitchell Robinson and could complete this deal as structured 30 days after signing the No. 3 pick to use his salary for matching purposes. That would allow the Knicks to sign a pair of max free agents before adding Davis, creating a top-heavy superteam.
Cleveland adds a second top-10 pick from last year's draft, although both were sub-replacement performers as rookies, and hopes that if Antetokounmpo re-signs in Milwaukee, the Bucks' first-round pick will end up in the late 20s. In that case, the Cavaliers could be getting Knox at a heavy discount relative to where he was drafted.

AD?s agent, Rich Paul, on why LA and NY the place to be for AD:

June 12, 11:29 AM:

Davis' agent. Rich Paul, spoke about why the Knicks are a desirable long-term option.

"The only difference is they don't have as many championships as the Lakers," Paul said, according to SI. "They got a tradition. It's a big market. ... Not that it's only big markets. They have cap space, flexibility, they're able to absorb more than one star. What's wrong with that?"

June 12, 9:26 AM:

Rich Paul said that if his client is traded to the Celtics this summer it would be as a rental.

"(The Celtics) can trade for him but it it'll be for one year," Paul said. "In the event that he decides to walk away and you (gave) away assets? Don't blame Rich Paul."

Paul went on to compare the Lakers to Jennifer Lopez and waxed poetic about the Knicks.

?On the Davis front, some Knicks decision makers have been adamant about not giving up a ton of significant assets -- young players or draft picks -- in a Davis trade, per SNY sources. Some in the organization are wary of giving up too many young assets or picks for Davis, citing the way things played out for New York in the wake of the Carmelo Anthony trade, per sources?

Knicks pick up Trier?s 3.5 million option...

NYDaily News:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/ny-knicks-strike-out-free-agency-why-trade-kristaps-porzingis-20190614-jdawiejlqvfm7gpqiswctcfowy-story.html%3foutputType=amp

If the Knicks don?t do what was essentially guaranteed by their owner by spending a significant portion of that $72 million in cap space on superstar-level players this summer, then what exactly did they receive in exchange for Porzingis?

The full trade was Porzingis, Hardaway, Lee, and Trey Burke for Dennis Smith Jr, an unprotected first-rounder in 2021, a protected first-rounder in 2023, and the expiring contracts of DeAndre Jordan and Wesley Matthews.

Attaching bad contracts to the Knicks? former Latvian star significantly decreased his value.

The primary issue with this trade is that the Knicks put all their eggs in the basket of this year?s free agent class. Lee?s $12 million comes off the books at the end of next year, and Hardaway has a player option for the 2020-21 season at $18 million.

Hardaway?s expiring deal could have easily been moved at the end of next season by attaching far-less valuable assets than Porzingis, and Lee?s isn?t a concern beyond this offseason.

If the Knicks sign both Durant and one of their other targets, they could state the fact that this trade was made in order to build a championship contending team immediately. If they hold that cap space and try to roll it into next season, then they essentially traded Porzingis for pennies on the dollar.

It will be hard to sell this deal if the Knicks are rooting for ping pong balls again next May.

Cap space isn?t exactly permanent either. Believe it or not, the Knicks have to put together a team moving forward. New York has just six guaranteed contracts on their roster for next season, including the third-overall pick.

They will be adding salary no matter what, as high first-round picks have guaranteed deals that pay enough to eat into cap space, and any free agent worth signing will want more than one year on their deal.

The Knicks must act quickly and wisely if they don?t want this deal to blow up in their face.

There are many alternative routes that General Manager Scott Perry and President Steve Mills could have taken. First, they could?ve called Porzingis bluff and kept him on their roster.
While it was rumored that Porzingis wanted out and requested a trade, the 23-year-old restricted free-agent is coming off an ACL tear. It?s truly difficult to imagine putting a rookie-scale max-contract extension in his face and seeing him turn it down, especially after the injury, even if he threatened to sign a one-year tender and leave as an unrestricted free agent.

During his time at Madison Square Garden, the forward averaged 17.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks in three seasons with the Knicks. Porzingis would likely prefer guaranteed money up to par with his performance as opposed to a one-year qualifying offer.

If the Knicks strike out in free agency, they?re far better off with the sharpshooting big man on the roster rather than what they received in the trade.

The other option for the Knicks would have been gauging the interest of teams around the league for Porzingis and dealing him in a package that maximizes his value. According to Ian Begley of SNY, several teams were interested in making an offer for Porzingis but they weren?t able to do so as New York quickly pulled the trigger and sent him to Dallas.
The Knicks in turn claimed that the Mavericks were the only team that could return what they were looking for, and at this point it?s clear that means a place to dump salary. Had the team not insisted on attaching those bad contracts to their star forward, and gauged interest from all teams around the league, the options would have looked different. That?s not necessarily a mistake, but it?s certainly a decision.

Now that the Knicks are all-in on this year?s free agency, they?re left without a franchise-altering player such as Porzingis. If the Knicks were just slightly more patient, Kevin Durant?s Achilles injury wouldn?t feel like as big of a blow as it does right now.

As it pertains to the Knicks and pushing all their chips to the middle of the table in the summer, you know the old saying.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, we?ll be back in the lottery, fishing for Anthony Edwards.

mafra said:

Knicks pick up Trier’s 3.5 million option...

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How come I'm so optimistic bout having a Knicks young-core winning 2nd-Unit having Mark Jackson as the Knicks head-coach, and Trier as the energy 6th-Man off the bench.

Pelicans? Julius Randle is not picking up his $9M player option for next season and will enter unrestricted free agency, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Randle is coming off his best NBA season (21.4 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 34.4 percent from 3-point range on 195 attempts).

The Knicks did not land Anthony Davis, but perhaps they can make a run at another Pelicans center.

New York is reportedly a fan of Julius Randle, according to the New York Post's Marc Berman, and could pursue him when free agency begins in two weeks.

Randle, 24, will not exercise his $9 million player option with New Orleans so he can test free agency, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.

??????

Gotta admit, I?m not against this signing... Mitch and Randle would make for a nice C/PF combo. Randle is young and fits our timeline....

Gotta wonder if a Randle is the type we sign now, instead of offering a max to Kyrie.

Give KD a max and put him on a shelf. Then sign a Randle and another young player? Tough call. Definitely don?t overpay...

Rozier or Russell with Randle? Don?t think we go G route, if we believe in DSJ.

DSJ
RJ
Knox
Randle
Robinson

KD and KL always was the correct choice... I still imagine this is plan-A. But with KD hurt, I bet Randle and other young available cats are now options?

mafra said:

Pelicans? Julius Randle is not picking up his $9M player option for next season and will enter unrestricted free agency, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Randle is coming off his best NBA season (21.4 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 34.4 percent from 3-point range on 195 attempts).

The Knicks did not land Anthony Davis, but perhaps they can make a run at another Pelicans center.

New York is reportedly a fan of Julius Randle, according to the New York Post's Marc Berman, and could pursue him when free agency begins in two weeks.

Randle, 24, will not exercise his $9 million player option with New Orleans so he can test free agency, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.

??????

Gotta admit, I?m not against this signing... Mitch and Randle would make for a nice C/PF combo. Randle is young and fits our timeline....

Gotta wonder if a Randle is the type we sign now, instead of offering a max to Kyrie.

Give KD a max and put him on a shelf. Then sign a Randle and another young player? Tough call. Definitely don?t overpay...

Rozier or Russell with Randle? Don?t think we go G route, if we believe in DSJ.

DSJ
RJ
Knox
Randle
Robinson

KD and KL always was the correct choice... I still imagine this is plan-A. But with KD hurt, I bet Randle and other young available cats are now options?

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I like Randle, no question. Is he going to require a near max deal to sign though? That would be a tough pill to swallow. I have the same question with Rozier and Russell.

Bunch of teams hungry for better players with cap space to blow. Maybe Kyrie goes to Lakers now and leaves Brooklyn hanging. Clippers have all that money to spend too. Going to be tough to get a bargain on anyone.

No question that Randle opted out of his 9 mil deal bc he believes he?ll score a major payday. However, I seriously doubt it requires a near-max commitment.

18-20 mil for 4 years?

Knicks don?t really need guards, if they plan on keeping DSJ, Dotson, Knits, Trier and maybe Mudiay. A Kyrie is one thing but Russell or Rozier wouldn?t make much sense.

Now, Randle is a different story. We could use a PF to pair with Mitch. Why not go with a 24 yr old former lottery pick who has show growth every year?

mafra said:

No question that Randle opted out of his 9 mil deal bc he believes he?ll score a major payday. However, I seriously doubt it requires a near-max commitment.

18-20 mil for 4 years?

Knicks don?t really need guards, if they plan on keeping DSJ, Dotson, Knits, Trier and maybe Mudiay. A Kyrie is one thing but Russell or Rozier wouldn?t make much sense.

Now, Randle is a different story. We could use a PF to pair with Mitch. Why not go with a 24 yr old former lottery pick who has show growth every year?

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I guess I want to know for sure whether an injured Durant is coming here on a max deal or not. If he is, I want as much cap space as possible still available in 2020. Durant on the roster and returning to action next year means we could have a shot at stealing AD from the Lakers if the Lebron situation implodes (I.e. spends a lot of the season injured and it turns out he is closer to being done than people thought). Maybe not. I don?t know.