Briefing: June 25
Happy Birthday, Willis Reed
Good Morning,
Happy 77th Birthday, Willis Reed!
Kenny Wooten Jr. is an undrafted forward from Oregon, and perhaps he gave a hint that he is planning on playing Summer League ball with the Knicks:
RJ Barrett preparing to recruit Zion? The Knicks’ lottery pick made an appearance on The Michael Kay Show yestterday and said about Zion, “Hopefully, one day we'll be on the same team. That's my brother, I'll try and recruit him over.” [Listen to the full interview]
Barrett was in Los Angles for the NBA Awards show. He presented Luka Doncic with the Rookie of the Year award [Watch]. Perhaps someone will be presenting the award to him next year!
Amir Hinton learned to accept being overlooked in the draft: “I'm fine with the spot I'm in. People may think it's strange to say that but I'm OK because it's an opportunity and that's all I really wanted.” [Read more about his emotions on draft night]
The Knicks sent $1 million in cash on top of the 55th pick to jump to 47 to draft Ignas Brazdeikis, per Eric Pincus. The exact cash amount had not been previously reported. The Knicks have $4.2 million in cash remaining to use in trades during the final few days of this cap year.
Knicks are seeking medical information on Kevin Durant as they continue to maintain interest in the injured star, per Mike Vorkunov.
“The Knicks’ belief is if anyone in the league can come back from an Achilles tear, it is Durant. However, it’s not a no-brainer,” according to Marc Berman.
Kevin Durant + Kyrie Irving have met twice in recent weeks to discuss playing together, once in the Bay Area, and again in New York after Durant’s surgery, per Ric Bucher.
The Nets are trying to recruit DeAndre Jordan (close friend to Kevin Durant), per Ric Bucher.
Frank Ntilikina has been training in Dallas with his new agency and trainers.
Watch the latest workout vid.
Frank has been working out with Kadeem Allen, too, per Marc Berman.
Frank is “all in” on playing for France in the FIBA World Cup, per Marc Berman.
A quote by Andre Igoudala made headlines yesterday when he said, “Nobody’s going to the Knicks, sorry” during an interview on CNBC.
Igoudala commented on a few tweets that he believes took the quote out of context:
Knicks vs Daily News
Jonathan Macri wrote about the Knicks decision to exclude the Daily News from media events yesterday. We both believe the Knicks were wrong to do this and they were rightfully fined $50,000 by the NBA for their actions. However, I would have liked to see a better response from the Daily News, but perhaps my standards are too high…
More Free Agent Options
by Jonathan Macri
This entire week, my columns here will be asking (and hopefully providing some answers to) the biggest questions facing the Knicks this summer.
ICYMI, yesterday I detailed how, barring Kawhi Leonard holding up an orange and blue jersey a week from now (and wouldn't he look positively delightful in those colors), the Knicks seem poised to trot out a lineup featuring four kids (DSJ, RJ, Knox and Mitch) and a glaring hole at the four.
Luckily, this summer figures to offer plenty of options to fill said hole, and ones that should be available on New York's terms (likely a one or two-year deal, as per Ian Begley's recent report, also discussed yesterday). Trades will be a possibility, but only under the right circumstances.
I went through seven of those possibilities yesterday, all of whom are less than ideal or unlikely for one reason or another. Today we'll hit the top five - guys who would not only be a really good fit, but also that the Knicks should have a better than decent chance of getting. After all, money talks.
Before we get to those five though, a word on someone a few people brought up in my mentions yesterday: Noah Vonleh.
If we knew the player the Knicks would be getting was the same dude we all saw over the first 2.5 months of the season, I'd be all for bringing him back as the presumptive starter. Vonleh was the Knicks best player over that stretch, was on the court more than anyone except for Tim Hardaway Jr., and the team was only outscored by 2.6 points per 100 possession during those minutes - easily tops among Knick regulars. That's, like, the net rating of a normal, competent, bad NBA basketball team. Vonleh deserved a medal for his efforts.
After January first though, he turned into a pumpkin. With Vonleh on the court after January 1, New York was outscored by a whopping 14.3 points per 100 possessions. His defense was less consistent and his 3-point percentage plummeted to 18.8% over the final 26 games (it was 41.2% in the 42 games prior, an almost unfathomable drop off).
So yeah...I don't know where to stand on Noah. Bring him back at the right price (2 years, $12 million?) but I wouldn't pencil him as the starter, especially when these five guys seem like realistic options instead:
Nikola Mirotic: Yes, the Raptors played Miro off the floor in the conference finals. The Bucks instead went with more players who could move with the ball against a Toronto defense that played like it had 7.5 guys on the floor. Don't let that dissuade you from what this dude can do to help a young Knicks team. He's a 36% career 3-point shooter, which doesn't sound great until you realize he's hit that mark on substantial volume and he has no fear of letting it fly. Teams honor him on the perimeter, and with this presumptive starting five, the spacing he'd provide would be more important than whether the shots actually go in. He's also knows how to defend. The only issue here is whether he's fully matured from his Bulls days that saw him get into a pre-season scuffle that resulted in Bobby Portis punching him in the face. On this team, character and locker room presence will mean a lot. He's also European, and the first game he doesn't get a lot of time, the Fizdale vultures will be out, which is just such a fun story line to have to deal with.
Derrick Favors: This one could get tricky because Utah doesn't have to decide on his team option for next season until July 6. They paid him a big number last year ($16 million) for the right to see how the market shakes out and whether they'd need the money elsewhere. It was a smart decision. The reason they'd move on from Favors is simple: he doesn't space the floor, and next to Rudy Gobert, in the playoffs, that's death. But he does everything else you could possibly want, and on a young team like the Knicks, he would be such a positive influence. He not a rim protector, but alongside Mitch, they wouldn't need him to be. The rest of his defensive game is stellar. On offense, he's smart enough to make up for his lack of shooting, which is part of the reason Utah has been such a great regular season team over the last two years. I'd see if I could get him on exactly the type of contract Utah just did for the next two seasons.
Thad Young: Like Favors, an adult in the room if there ever was one. I'm not sure that Thad Young is the most underrated player in the NBA, but he has to be in the conversation. He's such a calming influence on both ends of the floor, and unlike Favors, he's more than comfortable taking the corner three (35% from there last year, which is where about half of his deep attempts came from - not great but enough to keep defenses honest). He can also pass better than most guys at this spot. The question here is whether he's lost a step on defense (for the first time since he's been in Indiana, the Pacers were better on that end of the floor when he didn't play last season by 2.3 points per 100 possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass). He's only 31 but had 12 seasons on his NBA odometer, which isn't nothing. Still, I'd take the risk and go two years at the right price.
Marcus Morris: Now we're talking. Morris spent the last few years in Boston, where things obviously went off the rails last season. Other than the clearly unnerving influence of Kyrie Irving, it's impossible to point the finger of blame at any one player. The Knicks would need to do their homework here and make sure that this is the type of player they want coming in to help guide a young team. On the court, though, it's easy to see what Morris brings. On offense, he got up to 37.5% from deep last year on over five attempts per game, and the Knicks would probably want him hanging out on the perimeter more often than not. He's not a playmaking four, but in this lineup, they wouldn't really need him to be. On the surface, his defensive numbers last year with Boston weren't great, and their 108 defensive rating with Morris on the court was the highest of any Celtic. Still, he has a reputation as someone who knows what he's doing and won't hurt you. He'll be 30 in September, and should be attainable on a two-year deal.
Danilo Gallinari: This is equal parts dream and nightmare. The nightmare part is obvious: if the Clippers need to ship out his expiring $22.6 million salary, it's almost certainly because Kawhi Leonard has decided on LA as his next home and someone else - maybe Kevin Durant - has agreed to come with him. Would the Knicks swallow their pride and help facilitate that transaction? They'd be wise to do so, because if they don't, someone else happily will. Gallo was awesome last season, and the five All-NBA votes he got (1 second, 4 thirds) weren't an anomaly. After an injury-plagued 2017-18, Gallo scorched the net all year long, finishing at 43.3% from downtown. Although obviously not the most agile guy, he's savvy enough to more than hold his own on defense. He's incredibly intelligent, can pass it a little bit (over three dimes per 36 last season) and plays hard. He's amazing to have in the locker room, and would do wonders for a young team. Best of all, we know he can play in New York. The Knicks would surely ask for a pick in the deal, and if I were the Clippers, I'd do the same. My guess is that they will want to do right by Gallo, and should he want to return to the city where he started his career (not a certainty but who knows), maybe Jerry West does him a solid and the teams meet somewhere in the middle. If the Knicks are going to lose out on the big fish anyway this offseason, they might as well benefit from it somehow. Getting Gallo back in the fold would be just about the ideal Plan B in that scenario.
Remember when…
June 25, 2015: Knicks select Kristaps Porzingis from Latvia with the fourth overall selection in 2015 NBA Draft and acquire draft rights to Jerian Grant (Notre Dame , 19th overall) from Atlanta in exchange for guard Tim Hardaway Jr. Also, acquire draft rights to center Guillermo Hernangomez (Spain, 35th overall) from Philadelphia in exchange for two future second round draft choices (2020 and 2021) and cash considerations.
June 25, 2014: Knicks acquire guards Jose Calderon, Wayne Ellington and Shane Larkin and center Samuel Dalembert and two second round draft choices in 2014 NBA Draft (Cleanthony Early, 34 and Thanasis Antetokounmpo, 51) from Dallas in exchange for center Tyson Chandler and guard Raymond Felton.
June 25, 2009: In a flurry of draft-day activity: Knicks select forward Jordan Hill from the University of Arizona with the eighth overall pick in the NBA draft and acquire the draft rights to guard Toney Douglas (29th overall, Florida State) from Lakers and forward/center Darko Milicic from Grizzlies. New York sends a 2011 second-round draft pick (Andrew Goudelock) and cash considerations to Los Angeles and ships swingman Quentin Richardson and cash considerations to Memphis.
June 25, 1999: Knicks championship dreams come to an end with a 78-77 loss to San Antonio in Game 5 of the NBA Finals at MSG. Latrell Sprewell and Tim Duncan engage in an epic duel, as Duncan finishes with 31 points and nine rebounds and Sprewell scores 35 points and snatches 10 boards.
June 25, 1998: Knicks acquire center Marcus Camby from Toronto in exchange for forward Charles Oakley, Sean Marks and cash considerations.
June 25, 1979: With the third overall pick in the NBA Draft, the Knicks select center Bill Cartwright from the University of San Francisco.
Thanks for reading, talk to you tomorrow!