Knicks Morning News (2026.04.02)

I don’t wanna say we have a Jalen Brunson problem, but maybe we have an offensive structure problem. As is the case with all great players, the offense tends to lose fluidity when they are in the game- with the exception of guys like Curry, Magic, Kidd, LeBron, and Jokic. Then when these great scorers sit, the offense hums with their replacement in the lineup. Granted, in our case- the offense hummed against 2 terrible teams with Alvarado starting in place of Brunson. But I think it’s something for Brown and Jent to look at and try to tweak in these last 10 or so games. Guys just stand around and watch Brunson. Also, KAT gets included more in the offense when he’s out. Oh- and Bridges has more room to operate and seems more engaged. Am I off-base with this?

I saw bodies moving and the team using KAT with purpose last night. We don’t necessarily get that with Brunson in the lineup. And again- I don’t think that necessarily falls on Brunson because we need every single point of his 27 a game. But for as great as Brunson is, we are a much better team when KAT is involved and engaged. We gotta find a way to balance the two. Brunson is a very willing passer this season, so there must be an issue within the structure. And as a side note- I’m starting to believe the rumors that Bridges isn’t happy as a Knick.

Thoughts?

Good morning, all! Where is this information about Bridges being unhappy being promulgated, and why are you starting to believe it?

Drawing conclusion based on a game against a bunch of G-League scrubs is a big part of what we do here.

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Actually, the recent games have suggested there’s a big gulf between the good teams and the bad teams in the league. The good ones give us trouble in a way the others don’t.

Yes that’s what good teams do. They are harder to beat. I don’t get your statement.

If anything, the Knicks blew games against sub par opponents which is reason they won’t win divisor.

The underlying question going into the playoffs for me is: Are we “athletic” enough to compete with the best teams in the league? Charlotte, Houston, and OKC all seemed longer and faster (in a “fast-twitch” sense) than us, an it seemed like we just couldn’t keep up.

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From my view, we don’t have a JB problem. I have said and maintain we don’t have enough creators and initiators. JB is one of the only players on the team that can do that consistently. Bridges seems to have lost that ability when he came to the team, OG loses his dribble a lot when going to the basket, and Towns does his off-balance flaying on the way to the hoop.

I do agree, we could use a taller point guard who can play next to JB so he can be off the ball some more. But we need more players who can bring the ball up the court, and create offense. When good teams press us up the court, it really disrupts our flow, a lot.

“Actually, the recent games have suggested there’s a big gulf between the good teams and the bad teams in the league. The good ones give us trouble in a way the others don’t.”

I think that maybe implicit in this post is the idea that we were supposed to *be* one of those good teams who give the other teams trouble, instead of being one of the teams that is being given the trouble by other teams. Just a guess.

Good morning, all! Where is this information about Bridges being unhappy being promulgated, and why are you starting to believe it

Just analysts and random articles speculating. Hence- rumors.
Bridges body language has been bad, but the few games he’s played without Brunson- I could see the feeling of freedom on his face

Granted, in our case- the offense hummed against 2 terrible teams with Alvarado starting in place of Brunson.

Last night Memphis had a roster full of G League and 2way talent on 10 day contracts with the tallest player at 6’9”.

Any one of the final four teams would have looked good against these kids who never played or practiced together.

Folks, we have the 3rd best offense in the NBA because of Jalen Brunson. He’s the best Knick player since Patrick but I remember a bunch pf folks saying we’re better off without Patrick and were happy to send him to Seattle. We haven’t had a contender since 1999.

JB is not just special, he’s super special.

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We have to have one of the slowest starting lineups, and least vertically athletic lineups in the NBA. Josh H is probably the fastest for his position on the court, maybe JB everyone else is sorta slow twitch. A healthy and producing McBride or a shamet would be a better fit in the lineup. Starter politics be damned. Bring bridges of the bench as a sixth man scorer with a backup pg that rewards movement

I also think Bridges might work bigger as 6th man but he has already spent 2 seasons being wining so I don’t see him accepting that

Granted Memphis is not much defensively, but we had no Brunson.

1. The team scored 130 points

2. Towns 20 points; 8/12

3. OG 25 points; 8/17; 4/8 from 3

4. Bridges 24 points; 9/15

5. 36 total assists; 11 for TOWNS, 7 for Kolek, 4 for Alvarado; 6 for Hart

6. I didn’t see the whole game (went to see Duke Robillard), but in what I did see the ball movement was terrific, everyone contributed, everyone scored, everyone was making plays and no one was pouting.

The idea is to add Brunson to that mix to get more late shot clock shot creation and a good closer, but keep the ball and players moving, keep everyone involved and optimize ALL our talent. We want less Brunson dribbling and focus on his own scoring and more sound team basketball. Just sayin.

People are swinging and missing here, I think. Or fouling it off, to continue the analogy — they’ve identified part of the problem but have the wrong solution(s).

Jalen Brunson is indeed the best Knick since Patrick. He’s virtually unstoppable when he gets going. He is an indominable puzzle solver. Our winning and losing, short-term and long-term, lie largely on his back.

However, as everyone under the sun has noted, we start off games like shit. I would argue that it is not that we’re unathletic (we are to some degree, but we have massive talent up and down the starting five). I would argue that it is simply the ‘style’ of basketball we play at the start of games that hurts.

Last night was only one small data point, and as mentioned against scrubs with no center to speak of. But it fit neatly into the data points we’ve collected over the last few years, where if we share the rock to start games we get everyone involved and are damn near unstoppable.

It doesn’t seem to be rocket science and it doesn’t involve lineup changes. It involves a change in how we play to open games.

I actually find the flip side to this at least as interesting — as the game progresses, “Jalen ball” seems to become more and more important, right down to the end of games when “The Closer” becomes king. Again, tiny evidence against scrubs, but comments about how “we need Jalen” in the third quarter last night bear consideration.

This Brunson discourse might be the dumbest topic in Knickerblogger history…

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Great points Director.
“Folks, we have the 3rd best offense in the NBA because of Jalen Brunson. He’s the best Knick player since Patrick but I remember a bunch pf folks saying we’re better off without Patrick and were happy to send him to Seattle. We haven’t had a contender since 1999.”

I remember that too and think about it often. JB isn’t the perfect player, but as you say he is a special player.

Another way JB is like Patrick is that he is completely spent after each game. He really gives his all.

I think a lot of the issues this season stems from Bridges and Towns not being as consistent. Especially Bridges. His issues with getting to the foul-line, scoring less than double digits, and even on the defensive end have really stood out. Towns as much as he hints at the system and such, doesn’t seem to want to post up or even sometimes passes up on open 3’s. But at least his wild off-balance drives to the basket have seemed to go down recently. Those are hard to watch.

I don’t think it’s really that confusing. We’re a very good but not great team. We are exactly where we are supposed to be.

Alvarado’s role or Deuce’s availability simply doesn’t matter much. We still need one real star.

Jalen and KAT are wonderful, but they are not Shai or Wemby. Our only possible move left is adding Giannis to Jalen and KAT and then filling in the parts around them.

The starting 5 does not have a Jalen Brunson problem. Jalern Brunson has a starting 5 problem.

To me, the most obvious solution is to bench Hart and start Mitch. By doing that, you now have the biggest starting front line in the NBA, and the best rebounding starting front line in the NBA. You eliminate the hack-a-Mitch issue for some important minutes. You have plenty of offense and floor spacing with KAT, Brunson, Mikal, and OG out there. Mitch gives you the rim protection that you don’t have with the current starting 5.

Then within the first 5 minutes you sub in Josh and one of Deuce or Shamet for one of Mitch or KAT and one of Bridges or OG.

My opinion is that you badly need rim protection when Brunson is out there, at least against some opponents who effectively attack mismatches.

Once you get past the first 6 minutes, you can vary substitutions depending on how the game is going. If you need length, bring in Diawara. If you need speed, bring in Alvarado. If you need shooting, bring in Shamet. If you need shot creation, bring in Clarkson (who has really impressed me with his effort on the defensive end in recent weeks.)

Great. Now we’ll have to deal with a Paul George who has a chip on his shoulder and is peaking at exactly the right time (25/6/4 over his last five games). Not to mention Embiid out there to hurt Mitch again.

“Jalen and KAT are wonderful, but they are not Shai or Wemby. Our only possible move left is adding Giannis to Jalen and KAT and then filling in the parts around them.”

Having Jalen (or that archetype) as your #1 star definitely causes problems. Adding Giannis would go a long way to solve those problems in a vacuum. However, you have to have enough left over to have at least some level of roster balance. The Bucks are probably not interested in accommodating that need.

My preference would be to trade KAT for Giannis. I just don’t see a scenario where having both of them on supermax deals AND Brunson makes for building a truly competitive rotation. I would rather keep two of Hart, Mikal, and OG and trade the third and KAT plus picks and young players for Giannis. Maybe you can get a third team involved to take OG in exchange for a couple of firsts to convey to the Bucks. Then you figure out a way to keep Deuce, Mitch, and Mo in the fold. And then you try to find a couple of back end of rotation players on the cheap, either in the second round or via UDFA or waiver wire route.

Doogoe, I’m resigned to the likelihood that there is not going to be an easy out at either the 5 or 6 spot. Even the 7 spot will involve a good team. I like our chances against Philly in a grind-it-out series.

Certainly I think we would beat Philly, but it might take 6 games to do it. I’d rather beat Toronto in 4 or Miami in 5, or even Orlando in 5. I want no part of Atlanta right now (seems unlikely, anyway), and I think we could lose to Charlotte, too.

It remains the case that when Jalen Brunson is on the floor our offense is equivalent to the 1st or 2nd best in the NBA (depends a bit on what you count, etc.) and when he’s off it’s in the middle of the pack, despite the fact that he tends to only be off the floor when we’re facing other bench players.

His assist rates have been above average among point guards since he got here. 54th, 74th, 81st, and 54th percentile respectively.

He’s not a perfect player by any stretch of the imagination, but the weight of the evidence suggets that Brunson making serious changes to his pass/shoot decision making would lead to more shots from players not as good at making shots as Jalen Brunson.

the evidence suggest that Brunson making serious changes to his pass/shoot decision making would lead to more shots from players not as good at making shots as Jalen Brunson.

That may very well be the case but other factors do have to be considered. For example, if Brunson is taking so many shots that others starting checking out, that’s not good. OG and Mikal are here partly to help cover for the defensive short comings of JB and KAT. If they’re checked out or lowkey mad they aren’t getting involved, they might dog it a bit on defense and that can have a worse effect than them taking shots that are “not as good” as a theoretical shot JB can take. Same with KAT and his rebounding and also focus on D/not committing stupid fouls out of frustration.

The other factor is that JB also has games where he doesn’t shoot well or is being stymied by the opposing team’s defense. In that case, while over the course or a season and career, his shots are going to be better shots, in that particular game (or series) he may not be the one who should be taking all those shots. Others might have an advantage he does not.

It’s a tough act for him to balance for sure but it has to be considered.

That may very well be the case but other factors do have to be considered. For example, if Brunson is taking so many shots that others starting checking out, that’s not good. OG and Mikal are here partly to help cover for the defensive short comings of JB and KAT. If they’re checked out or lowkey mad they aren’t getting involved, they might dog it a bit on defense and that can have a worse effect than them taking shots that are “not as good” as a theoretical shot JB can take. Same with KAT and his rebounding and also focus on D/not committing stupid fouls out of frustration.

Well, this all seems like a long winded way of agreeing with the “the other guys are the problem” theory.

I mean, seriously, Jalen Brunson is the single best thing to happen to the Knicks since Patrick Ewing. It’s not even close.

And as I have said many times, even with the draft follies and other dumb stuff Leon did up until the summer of 2024, there were ways to build a sustainable contender around him. And Leon decided it would be a good idea to go all in on Mikal Bridges, and to consider KAT the final piece of the puzzle.

So of all the many things to fault Leon for, Jalen Brunson is not on anywhere on that list.

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Precious may have had 19 rebounds last night, but Sims had 20!

So again, I agree that Jalen is the best thing to happen to the Knicks since Patrick. And I’m not into blaming Leon, or Mikal, or anyone. The question is how do we maximize the Knicks around Jalen.

Our starting five is crap in first quarters. That’s just a fact. My hypothesis is that more ball movement will help alleviate that, based on a) the fact that when a pass-first PG starts we seem to have a free-flowing start to games, and b) the fact that only Jalen can really initiate offense: OG can’t make a layup with his tiny hands, Mikal is too passive, Hart can only do it on fast breaks, and KAT gets into foul trouble.

So get the ball up in a hurry, and get into sets quickly, set back picks, cut a lot, and pass the fucking ball. Let Jalen grind out possessions when the game grinds down into a mess. He’s one of the best players in the world under those conditions.

And as for efficiency, an OG or KAT dunk, or a Bridges cut for a layup, are all way more efficient than a Jalen mid-range.

Well, this all seems like a long winded way of agreeing with the “the other guys are the problem” theory.

Basketball is a team game. You can’t tell me that if you’re starting with the same guy every night and he’s taking most of the shots, that wouldn’t affect your game. It’s not like Mikal and OG are fucking Perkins, who knew he sucked on offense and never expected to get more than the random put back bucket.

these dudes have egos that need to be fed.

Bondi out. Can’t wait to see the Noem/Bondi Road Tour.

KAT and Mikal aren’t some innocent bystanders. They actively sulk. You can see it in their body language. I don’t think it is because of Brunson or not getting the ball enough. Those 2 get it a lot.

Mikal doesn’t create or dribble and looks to pass immediately. Scared of contact. Doesn’t attack. KAT allows himself to be manhandled by players 6-7 inches shorter than him and 50 plus pounds lighter. He would rather drive from the top of the 3 point arc and barrel his way to the rim and take a wild off-balance shot and airplane himself on the floor. Then get up and complain. This isn’t on Brunson.

Bunson is in the top-20 of players that you would pick first if you needed to win a championship in the next 3 years. Probably borderline top-15. (see below)

That’s great and all, but this team probably needs one of those guys above him to get over the top. Giannis seems like the most likely guy to be at least theoretically available.

No-brainers in their prime or still getting better: Wemby, SGA, Jokic, Giannis, Doncic, Tatum, Ant

Probably have 2-3 good years left: Durant, Kawhi, Steph

Most objective fans would take them over Brunson: Cade, Brown, Booker, Mobley, Maxey, Hali

You could make an argument for them: Murray, Chet, Knueppel, Flagg, Castle, Bam, Spida

So KAT and Mikal for Giannis then? 🙂

Honestly, I could get behind that if we could then resign Mitch (to be the back up), find another starting center, resign Shamet and Diawara, etc.

https://x.com/StevePopper/status/2039669783226900954 77 games. Not sure this is a good look for the coach

Doing this with the worst record in the sport is bold. Should be happy anybody showed up

https://x.com/FearedBuck/status/2039577400418123807

The “Brunson Discourse” that I brought up wasn’t intended to be a conversation about whether we have a Brunson issue. In fact I clearly said that I’m not gonna say we have a Brunson issue, then suggested it was an offensive structure issue. The reason I say that is because I remember Jordan taking as many opportunities to get guys involved in the first quarter as he could to have them ready for when he needed them. And it worked beautifully. So why not get KAT, OG, and Bridges more involved earlier on purpose? One or 2 of them get goin, and it should be easier for Brunson to eat the rest of the way. Matter of fact- screw OG and Bridges, just get KAT goin earlier. He’s a different player when he’s engaged. We can’t afford to rely on Brunson cooking defenses early when we need the league’s best clutch player late in games. I salute Brunson because he’s carrying a superhuman load. But he doesn’t have to. At least not early or all game long.

And if we’re being honest- KAT, OG, amd Bridges went off last night because they could use their game more freely and exploit mismatches. I dunno..maybe it’s guys’ mentality when Brunson plays that causes them to not have a better flow to the offense. Earlier in the season, I saw Brunson move without the ball in the halfcourt more. Nowadays his “off-ball” role consists of mainly letting someone else bring the ball up then pass it to him as soon as they break mid court. And instead of using the other weapons in the halfcourt, they tend to just look for Brunson. This isn’t Iverson’s Sixers where they had no choice but to play defense and watch AI work. OG is the only other person that consistently attacks, but looking to score is still relatively new to him. But it’s not to KAT and Bridges- so why aren’t we using that? Brunson gives the ball up enough to use them, so can’t Mike Brown and Chris Jent craft something to take advantage of that? Can’t they coach them to be more assertive in their roles? Or do they feel like they’re being selfish if they do that?

Something’s off with the offensive structure, and it looks like they’re still trying to figure it out.

https://x.com/LegionHoops/status/2039758187340165130

When the leagues most popular player says the city sucks ..

Wow, it must be nice to make a great boatload of foresworn enemies and not give a good goddamn.

I guess it is good to be king.

I’m from Nashville and he’s being a dick about it but also…no wrong.

Growing up Memphis and Nashville were pretty neck and neck for most of the 80’s and 90’s, with Memphis being the slightly cooler but also slightly more dangerous city.

But middle TN and Nashville have exploded in popularity and population the last 20 years. It’s not even really close now. Don’t get me wrong. Love going down to Memphis for a weekend of BBQ and hanging out on Beale Street, hitting up Staxx and Sun Records museums, Graceland…it’s a fun place. But as far as stature, population, tourism…there’s no contest anymore. Nashville already has the Titans and Predators and both are very popular.

Most objective fans would take them over Brunson: Cade, Brown, Booker, Mobley, Maxey, Hali

You could make an argument for them: Murray, Chet, Knueppel, Flagg, Castle, Bam, Spida

Only person in this group that is a better franchise player than Brunson is Brown.

Not talking about just basketball skills but leadership, grit, salary unselfishness, mental toughness and brilliance down the stretch is what makes Brunson the franchise player he is.

Since he got here 4yrs ago, Knicks were the 5th, 2nd, 3rd & 3rd seed and he never lost in the first round. Last May, Cade choked against OG. Next play JB hit a historic series winning shot breaking Thomspon’s ankles and then blew a kiss to the crowd.

During the last 4yrs and the next 4yrs neither Leon or myself care about the lottery of the NBA draft and we have Brunson to thank for this privilage.

The record demonstrates that 2nd round of playoffs is the floor with the last 4 versions of a JB led team. None of the above players have that track record. Most of them are leading their teams to the play in tournament.

Director, whatever, I don’t think the consensus among basketball fans around the NBA would agree with you, and I truly believe that there are very few fanbases for non-tanking teams who wish they had Jalen Brunson instead of their franchise player.

“Last May, Cade choked against OG. Next play JB hit a historic series winning shot breaking Thomspon’s ankles and then blew a kiss to the crowd.”

Again, whatever, there’s not a rational fan outside of NYC that would rather have JB than Cade. Do you really disagree with this?

The appeal to popularity argument is even worse than the appeal to authority.

Cade, Mobley, Maxey and don’t get me started on Spida, – have all been sent fishing in Cancun by Brunson. The road to the finals is through Brunson and/or Brown.

We giving these kids props before they actually win anything and its ruinining them. Michael Jordan said this too. Look what happened to Blanchero. Garland made All-Star as a rookie too and never again.

He’s having a lesser season and maybe last May was peak Brunson but someone other than Hali and Jimmy Butler is going to have to beat him first. He’s not gracefully bowing out and will be coming for your ankles next month. Believe that!

Interestingly, head-to-head stats-wise, Brunson and Cade are very similar. Brunson wins on FG%, 3PT% (a lot), 2PT%, eFG%, TOV (a lot), and TS%. Also PTs/game. Cade wins by a good amount on rebounds, assists, and steals. I admit, though, that except for 3PT% and TOV, even when Brunson wins they’re fairly close.

So no, it’s not absurd to want Brunson over Cade.

So then OG’s being failed by Brunson now?

I want to win with Brunson. We don’t have a Brunson problem, we have a KAT problem. He’s a nice guy and very easy to root for, but that won’t get you far unless he can at the very least TRY to dominate the game. He’s too passive for my taste. I always thought getting KAT was a good move, but only if he was a trade chip for a better player. If Leon’s plan is to keep him, i think i would’ve preferred to keep Randle and DiVo.

We needed to get a center because Hartenstein left and we knew that Mitch wouldn’t be available for a good chunk of the season—I don’t think that acquiring KAT was ever to use him as a trade chip for someone “better.”

@NBA_NewYork

Mikal: “…We got a lot of talent…Just got to share the ball, play off each other, try to make right reads…Just learning. We know JB really skilled…I don’t feel like as a player, knowing how great a talent he is, every time he has to give it up. I don’t believe that. His skill’s undeniable. I think our offense and trusting that everybody else can make plays and don’t have to make it too stagnant for one person—makes it easier for the other teams to guard us”

https://x.com/NBA_NewYork/status/2039847822023884924

Last part of Mikal quote stands out. Lay off the iso-ball. Maybe Mikal has been checking this site .

That’s very true about KAT. Losing Hartenstein was a big deal and it’s hard to fault Leon for hiring him in the first place at what proved to be under market dollars. I think OKC probably overpaid a little, but it meant the Knicks couldn’t match by rule so it was worth it to OKC. Unfortunately, the same thing could happen with Diawara this off season.

Cade, Mobley, Maxey and don’t get me started on Spida, – have all been sent fishing in Cancun by Brunson.

100% true.

Also, 100% silly to base a premise on.

You also conveniently skipped the Hali part.

Doing this with the worst record in the sport is bold.

Their franchise is a long-form April Fools Day joke.

I’m not a big fan of the Thunder but I am a big fan of the Lakers getting their asses kicked

Honestly, I think that anyone who would take Brunson over Cade for the next 3 years at this point is either ignorant or an incredible homer. Cade is a legit MVP candidate this year. Brunson, not so much. Who cares what happened in the playoffs last year, when Cade was fucking 23 years old and on a team that no one expected to even make the playoffs? I would trade Brunson for Cade straight up in a heartbeat even if I knew Cade was only going to be on my team for the next 3 years, and any serious analyst would feel the same way.

Yeah, Donnie, does anyone really think that if Brunson swiched teams with Cade, Mobley, Maxey, or Spida, that the Knicks would have been guaranteed to lose? Really silly stuff.

And just to be clear, I’m a huge Brunson fan and want to see us win with him as a centerpiece. But I also don’t overrate him. He is what he is.

And as I have said many times, even with the draft follies and other dumb stuff Leon did up until the summer of 2024, there were ways to build a sustainable contender around him. And Leon decided it would be a good idea to go all in on Mikal Bridges, and to consider KAT the final piece of the puzzle.

Exactly! We also need to know when they knew I-Hart was leaving and what the situation with Randle was in order to have a clearer picture about why those bad trades were made.

A charitable interpretation is that Rose was caught by surprise and panicked. He signed Bridges, then suddenly I-Hart left, the team was left without a center, Randle wanted a max extension, so Leon Rose pivoted to KAT. I am not justifying him: he should have known I-Hart might leave and planned accordingly, and should have never given up those picks for Bridges.

A non-charitable interpretation is that Leon Rose knew and planned for what took place all along which is even worse.

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I mean, to assume that iHart would turn down tens of millions offered from one of the premier teams in the NBA for a virtually guaranteed role would make Leon an idiot in my book.

There had been several blunders before and this might have been another one. The Thunder offer was all speculation, and it seemed then weird for a team to spend all that money on a previously borderline starter-level center who suddenly had two good seasons with the Knicks. Then the offer became reality. The question is when did the Knicks know about it and what their plans were.

It was widely rumored that Presti was going to go after iHart.

Yes, it was speculated, but not necessarily thought of as a rational move. Either way, if the Knicks knew for real, they should have planned accordingly. Whatever they planned does not seem to have panned out very well. Unless they surprise us in the playoffs. What are the odds?

Plus, the problem is not only i-Hart. The speculation that summer was that no superstar would become available “anytime soon,” I remember that very clearly, but nobody knows what the future will bring. Had they waited a few months, they’d have brought in Giannis.

My problem is, and has always been, that Leon needed to be patient because shit happens, and he wasn’t. Leon was so dead set on building a contender for 2024-25 that he went all in on a sub-par hand. No “top shelf” executive would have made either of the Bridges or KAT moves. The Mikal move was insanely unforgivable because of how bereft of picks it left the Knicks. The KAT move at least preserved some theoretical value compared to what was given up for him, but thinking that he might be a winning “max’ player was foolish. But at least we could recover some of the value given up in the KAT trade. Seriously, what would Mikal bring back right now?

“Yes, it was speculated, but not necessarily thought of as a rational move.”

It was not merely speculated. There were sourced insiders who stated that Presti coveted iHart and would make a tough 9if not impossible) to match offer for him because Presti felt that he was a perfect fit for what they needed. Many here were terrified that iHart would be made an offer he couldn’t refuse, and that’s exactly what happened. And my guess is that Presti would have caved if iHart demanded more than he signed for. As a former agent, Leon should have known that he had zero chance of retaining him.

My problem is, and has always been, that Leon needed to be patient because shit happens, and he wasn’t. Leon was so dead set on building a contender for 2024-25 that he went all in on a sub-par hand. No “top shelf” executive would have made either of the Bridges or KAT moves. The Mikal move was insanely unforgivable because of how bereft of picks it left the Knicks. The KAT move at least preserved some theoretical value compared to what was given up for him, but thinking that he might be a winning “max’ player was foolish. But at least we could recover some of the value given up in the KAT trade. Seriously, what would Mikal bring back right now?

Agreed. Patience is wisdom and they didn’t have it. They were probably afraid that no superstar would become available “anytime soon,” and the Brunson window would be wasted. So they opted for mediocrity instead of taking the chance and waiting.

As a former agent, Leon should have known that he had zero chance of retaining him.

This is a possibility, and, if true, makes him look very bad, to say the least.

If I remember well, the Knicks could offer Hartenstein about 70 million for four years. That was already a lot of money for a player of his caliber. They were probably also expecting he wasn’t easily going to decide to leave New York City and move to Oklahoma. That was reasonable. OKC also had Chet. Still, Presti blew their offer out of the water. The 90 million for only three years was crazy. This is why I wonder whether Leon knew about that kind of offer, one that would force I-Hart to leave. He is now the second highest paid player on the OKC roster.

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