OT: Nova Knicks
- Thread starter JRSlim2284
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Bridges is a perfect fit assuming they sign OG.
But I’m curious what these unprotected picks actually mean and the nuances of that, if any. Does it simply mean if the Knicks are for awful in 2027, 2029 and 2031 they risk sending the Nets numerous insanely good lottery picks? If so, ownership better be sure there is no plan to bottom out and rebuild over the next 5 or so years, because that would be a disaster.
But I’m curious what these unprotected picks actually mean and the nuances of that, if any. Does it simply mean if the Knicks are for awful in 2027, 2029 and 2031 they risk sending the Nets numerous insanely good lottery picks? If so, ownership better be sure there is no plan to bottom out and rebuild over the next 5 or so years, because that would be a disaster.
Yes that what it means. Many teams place "protected conditions" on 1st round picks. Lottery-protected or top 20-protected. And they can often turn into 2nd round picks if they get protected for 2 straight years.
The Knicks have like 7 protected 1st round picks over the next 4-5 years but it looks like they are keeping them and giving up their own picks without protections.
For the NETs they really need the picks after getting trading away so much for Harden and others. Now they have something to rebuild with. They have 7 unprotected 1sts from the Knicks and Suns over the next 5 yeara. They lose their own 1st rounder for the next 4 years to Houston for Harden! Atrocious since they are all unprotected and will likely be lottery picks every year.
If Bridges stays healthy and these end up being a bunch of picks in the late teens or 20s, it probably doesn’t matter. If the Knicks crater at some point, obviously it can set the Nets up nicely. I get why the Knicks made the deal even without the protections. It probably took that to get the Nets to deal him, because I’m sure they are hesitant to do any trade with the Knicks given their place in this market compared to the Nets.
A lot of questions for the Knicks now. With the current (signed) roster, you have a starting 5 of Brunson, Donte, Bridges, Randle and Robinson. I Hart might be gone since teams can pay more than what the Knicks have but if they sign back OG, somebody's gotta get moved. Doubt Anunoby gets signed without being a starter for the amount of money rumored. You can't give up so much for a non starter. Do you trade Randle if OG comes back to recoup more picks and/or depth? Do you play Randle as a small ball 5 and convince Robinson to come off the bench going forward.
And this is before you consider what the team will do tonight as they still have all of their picks this year. I assume at least 1 rookie comes in, so what do you address? Another perimeter player to go behind Bridges, Donte, and Hart. A proper PG to play behind Brunson and (or alongside McBride). A big for insurance for Robinson/Hartenstein.
Believe it or not, I like the trade. The specific picks are to be presumed low 1st rounders.
It's draft season. I'm gonna enjoy this evening and at 4 PM Thursday when I'm wrapping up my work day
And this is before you consider what the team will do tonight as they still have all of their picks this year. I assume at least 1 rookie comes in, so what do you address? Another perimeter player to go behind Bridges, Donte, and Hart. A proper PG to play behind Brunson and (or alongside McBride). A big for insurance for Robinson/Hartenstein.
Believe it or not, I like the trade. The specific picks are to be presumed low 1st rounders.
It's draft season. I'm gonna enjoy this evening and at 4 PM Thursday when I'm wrapping up my work day
that’s a boatload to give up for Bridges, especially since it’s seems he was forcing their hand. nets realized he is not the type of centerpiece player to build around and moved forward with a new plan. Good deal for Brooklyn. It also allowed them to flip a pick to Houston and get one of their own picks back.
I’ve never been so conflicted as a fan. I love hate them
Only you guys that are Seton Hall and Knicks fan would understand
Only you guys that are Seton Hall and Knicks fan would understand
Knicks still all-in on OG Anunoby after Mikal Bridges trade
The Post’s Stefan Bondy answers five important questions about the deal.
nypost.com
Knicks still all-in on OG Anunoby after Mikal Bridges trade
By Stefan BondyThe Knicks finally pulled the trigger on a blockbuster trade by swapping out five first-round picks for Mikal Bridges on Tuesday night.
It was the shocker of the summer (at least thus far), the first trade negotiated by the Knicks and Nets since Len Elmore went from New Jersey to New York in 1983.
The Post’s Stefan Bondy answers five important questions about the deal:
Q: What does this mean for OG Anunoby?
A: I still expect the Knicks to re-sign him.They own his Bird Rights and can exceed the cap to re-sign him, even going as high as a max deal if necessary (though I don’t think it will be).
Remember, the Knicks sacrificed a lot to get Anunoby (RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley) so they don’t want to lose him for nothing.
He’s also a versatile defender — capable of guarding 1 thru 5 — so the addition of Bridges won’t push Anunoby out of the lineup.
Q: Why did the Knicks do this?
A: First, Mikal Bridges is the type of plug-and-play wing that every team covets.He upgrades the defense, helps mask Jalen Brunson’s defensive deficiencies on the perimeter and adds depth to a rotation that ran out of healthy bodies in the playoffs.
Bridges is a minutes-eater.
And the Knicks needed a minutes-eater to get through a season after their three best players — Brunson, Julius Randle, OG Anunoby — all underwent surgery.
They’re fighting an uphill arms race against the Celtics.
Just as important, it seems, is that the Knicks discovered the power of chemistry through college friendships and they’re leaning into it.
Perhaps this will even help push Brunson to sign his extension this summer.
Q: Is this too high a price?
A: Probably. But it’s the cost of going for it.Bridges, while a borderline All-Star, showed he’s probably best as the No. 3 on a team like he was in Phoenix.
He’ll recreate that role in New York behind Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle.
He’s also extremely durable, and availability is something worth paying for in today’s NBA.
When I say he never misses a game, it’s not an exaggeration.
His consecutive games played streak is impressive in the load management era.
Plus, his contract is team-friendly and tradeable if necessary.
However, the Knicks leave themselves open to criticism if they’re now unable to afford a better star if or when he becomes available.
Q: Who is taken out of the starting lineup for Bridges?
A: Assuming Anunoby and Randle return, the logical move is for Donte DiVincenzo to move back to the bench.That’s where he started last season, although he was much better as a starter.
We have to wait and see what other moves are made before the season begins, but, just based on what happened Tuesday, DiVincenzo will see reduced minutes and opportunities.
Q: Seriously, does this mean Jay Wright?
A: That would be the second Villanova shocker this summer, and that would be even more shocking than Mikal Bridges jumping over the river.Tom Thibodeau is expected to return but we keep waiting for news about his extension.
Perhaps the Knicks were prioritizing this massive trade first. I’m sure Wright is a tremendous coach.
But it would be silly to remove Thibodeau from this team.
I'm now curious as to what happens with the draft picks tonight. This is also the 1st draft where I barely have any knowledge on the players.
Mikal Bridges is perfect fit for these win-now Knicks
The Knicks are no longer about tomorrow, next year, three years from now. Everything they do now, better or worse, is for now.
nypost.com
Mikal Bridges is perfect fit for these win-now Knicks
By Mike VaccaroHere’s the thing: the Knicks are no longer in position to wait for Giannis Antetokounmpo’s patience to run out in Milwaukee. They are no longer in a place where it makes sense to throw assets after older players like Kevin Durant or Paul George, no matter how much gas is left in the tank.
Joel Embiid? If that was an assumed option at the start of this year it can’t be any more, not after he spent another year plagued by injury, not after he expended as much energy becoming Public Enemy No. 1 in the playoffs as he did trying to eliminate the Knicks in them.
The Knicks are no longer working on spec. They are no longer about tomorrow, next year, three years from now. Everything they do now, better or worse, is for now. The Knicks are going for it. And on Tuesday, the picture of going for it officially became Mikal Bridges, imported from the Nets for Bojan Bogdanovic and a boatload of draft picks. It’s a steep haul for a player with a high ceiling coming off a disappointing season. It also makes all the sense in the world.
The Knicks are a team whose success is based on chemistry. That has been Leon Rose’s careful calibration the last few years, ever since he signed Jalen Brunson to kick-start them into contention. He’s had all these picks in his pocket, waiting for a chance to strike, and was determined to make sure the fit was right. That meant saying no to Donovan Mitchell. It meant allowing Dejounte Murray to go to Atlanta. It meant never getting involved with the Damian Lillard sweepstakes last year.
They weren’t fits. Josh Hart was. Donte DiVincenzo was. OG Anunoby was. And Bridges is. There were some who lament the exodus of so many draft picks, but draft picks — especially for good teams, who pick in the mid and low 20s — are decidedly unknown commodities. You can tell me two or three who rose from there to become All-Stars; I’ll give you a couple of dozen who are playing in Europe four years later.
We know what Bridges is. And we know how he plays on good teams, as evidenced by his blossoming in Phoenix and the way he played upon first arriving in Brooklyn before the Nets blew up.
And, of course, you know how he plays with the three other guys from Villanova, because we’ve seen them reach the highest highs together in college. We saw how first Hart, and then DiVincenzo, immediately re-bonded with Brunson. For most of last year it sure felt like Brunson and Hart were quietly wooing him on their podcast; Bridges was less subtle, all but blinking out in Morse code “TAKE ME WITH YOU” the two times the Knicks visited Brooklyn this year.
You swap known for unknown every time.
Does this put the Knicks directly into Boston’s line of sight? Not quite. Not yet. First on the docket is getting OG Anunoby’s signature affixed to the bottom of a rich extension. That is Priority One for the Knicks, a commitment that doesn’t come without a strain of concern given Anunoby’s injury history but one they have little choice but to make given both the cost of bringing him here and the staggering success they enjoyed with him in the lineup.
Center has to be addressed. Unless Isaiah Hartenstein decides he wants to take a steep hometown discount he’s almost certainly gone. Are the Knicks ready to recommit to Mitchell Robinson? His name has been floated in some trade talk and he’s always been sensitive to such things. There may be damage to control, and another, cheaper version of Hartenstein to acquire.
That’ll shake out in the days to come.
For now, #Knicksanova has never been more of a thing. The Knicks were already in for a penny — a few pennies, actually — on seeing if the Villanova basketball culture can translate up a level. Now they’re in for a pound. On a night when baseball’s Subway Series crackled all across nine innings at Citi Field, the big story turns out to be from the basketball Subway rivals, turns out to be Bridges heading west over the Manhattan Bridge and landing in his safe place.
We wondered for years what the Knicks were going to look like when Leon Rose was ready to finally cash in his assets. We have a pretty good idea now. No more working on spec anymore. This is about today. This is about right now.
OG Anunoby to sign five-year, $212.5 million contract to stay with Knicks
The Knicks look like they’ll be retaining one of their key pieces.
nypost.com
OG Anunoby to sign five-year, $212.5 million contract to stay with Knicks
By Andrew BattifaranoThe Knicks look like they’ll be retaining one of their key pieces.
OG Anunoby “intends” to sign a five-year, $212.5 million contract to remain with the Knicks, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported.
The ESPN NBA insider said talks between the Knicks and Anunoby’s agent had been ongoing the past few days.
Anunoby had opted out of his contract earlier in the week to become a free agent, but he won’t be hitting the open market now as the Knicks have retained one of their top defensive players.
This is a developing story
The Nets made a deal with Houston to reacquire the remaining draft picks they sent away in the James Harden deal. They sent Phoenix's 2025 and 2027 in exchange for their own 2025 (pick swap) and 2026.
The Nets now have four 2025 first round draft picks -- their own, the Knicks' and the Bucks'. The fourth pick is a swap with Houston that can trigger for either that aforementioned Phoenix pick or Oklahoma City's pick (basically the Nets will end up with the lowest of those three teams choices). They also own 16 first round picks over the next seven drafts.
As an aside, teams cannot trade first round draft picks in consecutive years. Pick swaps are a way around that rule but the simply means you will end up with the lesser of the two teams picks.
Crazy that they have now re-acquired their top picks in 25' & 26'. Wise maneuvering by Nets management to be well set up for next year's draft which is thought to be strong led by Cooper Flagg & Ace Bailey. Now allows them to ensure they will have a lottery pick and other trade assets to move up if they want.
Gets confusing when picks have been traded multiple times and many have special circumstances/protections attached.
They had to have had a deal in place to acquire their picks "back" from the Rockets before agreeing to the Bridges trade. Otherwise it wouldn't makes sense. The whole idea of getting their picks back from Houston for is that they are going in full tank mode the next season or two, and Bridges wouldn't have helped that cause at all.
