Knicks Insider: "All Things Knicks"

[tiger0330]

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.

[mafra]

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.

[mafra]

“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”

[mafra]

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

[mafra]

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.

[Kiyaman]

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

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.

[mafra]

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?

[htr10]

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?

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.

[mafra]

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?

[htr10]

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?

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.

[htr10]

New York Post is reporting that the Knicks never made a formal offer for AD. Sounds like the Celtics took themselves out of the running too.

Lakers look like they bid against themselves.

[Kiyaman]

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?

Randle & Russell are two young star role-players the Lakers organization drafted then kick to the curb .. Nine out of ten ..
The new Lebron & AD Lakers will probably want the two ex-Laker FA back in Lakers uniform this off-season LMAO--CTFU
The Lakers right now are operating on both fronts. They still hope to chase max players such as Kemba Walker, Jimmy Butler and Kawhi Leonard, sources say. They also have begun discussing players expected to fetch somewhere in that $10 million-plus range.
For now, expectation is Anthony Davis trade will be completed on July 6, league sources tell @Bobby Marks. Assuming Davis declines to void $4M trade bonus, this leaves Lakers with $23.7M in space. There is chance that could be amended to July 30, but it’s still 6th now.

Could Fizdale build a .500 winning Knicks team by adding Barrett Russell and Randle to the Knicks roster ???

[mafra]

Knicks shooting guard Damyean Dotson, who had major shoulder surgery last month, made an appearance on MSG 150 Monday night and acknowledged the Knicks are still going to be young next season.

“Most importantly, it’s a young team this year — Kev [Kevin Knox], Allonzo [Trier], Mitchell [Robinson],’’ Dotson said, according to excerpts supplied by MSG Network. “Everybody will just get better this summer and work hard and focus on the small things that we need to do to get better, our defensive strategies, having better focus on defense. A lot of our games came down to defensive mistakes. It’s just getting better with our chemistry, coming together, getting smarter, IQ getting better, and guys keep learning.

“And for me, most importantly just get healthy of course. Also, I want to be a better defender, less defensive mistakes and just continue to get stronger, and my shot more consistent. There’s a lot I could go on but the most important one is getting healthy.”

[mafra]

With just two days until the Knicks are on the clock at No. 3 overall, one would think New York is set with their plan come Thursday night.

That is until a "last-minute workout" was scheduled for Wednesday with Vanderbilt PG Darius Garland, per ESPN's Jonathan Givony.

Garland is a top-10 prospect that some can see going in the top five. Givony adds that the Knicks are in "serious consideration" of picking Garland at No. 3.

[htr10]

With just two days until the Knicks are on the clock at No. 3 overall, one would think New York is set with their plan come Thursday night.

That is until a "last-minute workout" was scheduled for Wednesday with Vanderbilt PG Darius Garland, per ESPN's Jonathan Givony.

Garland is a top-10 prospect that some can see going in the top five. Givony adds that the Knicks are in "serious consideration" of picking Garland at No. 3.

Garland has his fans as an elite talent, but I don’t get this based on positional need for us. Only makes sense to me if we trade down. Pelicans maybe want RJ and contacted us about swapping 3rd for 4th, maybe?