Welcome to the Danger Zone: The 2021 NBA Trade Deadline

I truly think that the Knicks are going to play this deadline right this year, but who the fuck knows?

We’ll all find out together. So here is a thread for us all to commiserate/celebrate the trade deadline, one of the most intense days of the NBA season.

533 replies on “Welcome to the Danger Zone: The 2021 NBA Trade Deadline”

Plan for today: 1) don’t do nothing stupid; 2) don’t do nothing stupid; 3) don’t do nothing stupid; 4) if it’s a fair deal, get Lonzo; if not, take Bledsoe + 1st RP and send Elfrid packing; 5) get a backup PF on the cheap, please; 6) don’t trade a 1st RP to upgrade SG, as Reggie has been playing fine as of late;

Hey dtrickey, on Tankathon they have the Knicks taking on the “shorter Ben Simmons” with the DAL pick, do you know the guy? šŸ˜€
Calling “shorter” to a PG that is 6’8″ and has a 6’7.5″ wingspan, is kind of funny. šŸ˜›
And my man Queta with the DPOY nomination improved to the 1st round, so i’m extremely happy, although that takes him from the Knicks radar with the 2nd round pick, and puts him on the Nets radar (i’ll be happy and rooting for him to play great and… lose! LOL).

I would have expected more actual trade activity given the COVID financial hits, expanded play-offs, and tightness of the standings in both conferences. But maybe all this uncertainty means there are less obvious buyers or sellers, hence less activity. A pity if we can’t use the cap space in some form. Strangely, though, if we do nothing my confidence in the FO would go up a notch.

cybersoze:
Plan for today: 1) donā€™t do nothing stupid; 2) donā€™t do nothing stupid; 3) donā€™t do nothing stupid; 4) if itā€™s a fair deal, get Lonzo; if not, take Bledsoe + 1st RP and send Elfrid packing; 5) get a backup PF on the cheap, please; 6) donā€™t trade a 1st RP to upgrade SG, as Reggie has been playing fine as of late;

if we “don’t do nothing stupid”, we’re gonna do something stupid! (double negative!)… i know what you mean though and i swear im not the grammar police… im on board with your 1,2,3,4,5 and 6

Too late for a poll, I guess, but what would everybody’s order of preference be among these potential outcomes:

1)No trade at all? (or, at least, only something super minor, like Rivers for a protected 2nd round pick)
2)We acquire Lonzo?
3)We use our cap space for more asset accumulation?

I’m leaving out the genuinely bad stuff like the team trading for Oladipo or Drummond, or giving up something of value for a player not on our timeline. And I didn’t include Brogdon because that seems more Knickerblogger wishcasting than anything that’s actually in the air right now.

I still remember that Jackson actually traded Rose for Rubio on the day of the trade deadline, but couldnā€™t complete the paperwork in time for the actual deadline and the deal failed. Assuming our current front office is more competent than that (not a big assumption), that means they probably have to actually agree on something before noon today.

And Alan, Iā€™m picking option number one.

I don’t think we are going to do anything other than buy out Austin Rivers if we can’t trade him for anything we want.

KJG: if we ā€œdonā€™t do nothing stupidā€, weā€™re gonna do something stupid! (double negative!)ā€¦ i know what you mean though and i swear im not the grammar policeā€¦ im on board with your 1,2,3,4,5 and 6

Yeah, it was more “don’t do anything stupid”… LOL… more coffee for me, please! šŸ˜€

cybersoze: Yeah, it was more ā€œdonā€™t do anything stupidā€ā€¦ LOLā€¦ more coffee for me, please! šŸ˜€

i know i know… šŸ˜‰

Alan: 1)No trade at all? (or, at least, only something super minor, like Rivers for a protected 2nd round pick)
2)We acquire Lonzo?
3)We use our cap space for more asset accumulation?

3, 1, 2. I’d like lonzo but don’t see anyway we grab him without giving up too much

Interesting article on Drummond. It seems that itā€™s hard to trade for Drummond for most teams because they have to send back so much salary. So there is a chance he gets bought out. If that happens the Knicks have s significant advantage signing him because they have cap space and can offer more money.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cleveland.com/cavs/2021/03/cleveland-cavaliers-best-leverage-in-andre-drummond-trade-talks-is-los-angeles-lakers-and-brooklyn-nets.html?outputType=amp

200 years ago on March 25th of 1821 started the Greek Revolution against the Ottoman Empire.
It would be nice to remember this anniversary as the day the Knicks FO raised once more the flag of Intelligence.

Here’s my prediction.

We will make a trade with The Pelicans but it will be for Bledsoe and a pick OR we’ll do a Lonzo and Bledsoe trade where we don’t have to send out a pick because we’re taking back Bledsoe. Some combination of Elf, Knox, Frank and Rivers and a future second will be sent to New Orleans in return.

We won’t make a move for Oladipo or Drummond but if they get bought out by their teams after the deadline, we might pick up one or both of them.

2, 3, 1. I think Lonzo’s a Knick today and wouldn’t be surprised if the deal gets widened even further to include Adams/Redick or both. It will put most of KB in tears, but I believe Mitch would be on the table in such a scenario, especially if it looks like Drummond will just go to the buyout market. (Or of course if the Knicks already have a deal for Drummond in place.)

I want Lonzo if the price is right.

Knew Your Nicks:
200 years ago on March 25th of 1821 started the Greek Revolution against the Ottoman Empire.
It would be nice to remember this anniversary as the day the Knicks FO raised once more the flag of Intelligence.

200 years? Cool, and so i wish you a happy independence day. šŸ™‚

Knick fan not in NJ: So there is a chance he gets bought out. If that happens the Knicks have s significant advantage signing him because they have cap space and can offer more money.

But why would we do such a move? Mitch and Noel are a very good tandem at C, do we wanna disrupt that?

Yeah I am not a fan of getting Drummond. Sure, it would be nice if our centers could score a bit more, but with their defense and rebounding, I feel like our C position is one of our strengths. Why mess with that?

Based on everything we’re hearing it sounds like there’s a lot more bad opportunities than good ones out there right now for us. So I’ll definitely consider it a feather in this front office’s cap if they show the discipline to sit tight. It’s easy to get excited by this season (and damn if it hasn’t been awesome so far) but reality check is we’re 14th in Net Rating, 17th in SRS, and that’s probably right at the very top of our range; we’ve had pretty good injury luck, great COVID luck, great opponent shooting luck, and Thibs has done an absolutely amazing job wringing every last drop from this group.

We’re great in comparison to pre-season expectations, we’re great in comparison to all the absolutely awful teams we’ve watched for the majority of the last 20 years, but we’re not a great team, we’re an okay team that’s hopefully headed better places in the next few seasons. If we can use our cap space to get an asset, fantastic. If there’s an opportunity to buy at a reasonable price on a guy with team control who can be a part of the long-term core, fine – it all boils down to price on this option. But as I said it seems like those options are quite limited right now and it’s going to be an easy day to make a significant mistake (Oladipo for example is almost definitely getting moved somewhere today). Patience is the order of the day.

I wouldn’t hate signing Drummond off waivers (we really should get some comp for him tho). If the Knicks are committed to playing him at PF behind Randle I could live with it given how bad Obi has played. I don’t think it’ll work out, and then I worry he starts taking Noel/Mitch’s minutes at C, but I don’t hate, hate taking a flyer on him. Okay, maybe I’d hate it a little bit.

Love Lonzo
Sorry, want zero part of Adams’s seemingly fully guaranteed 2022-23 $18MM
we’ve spent years cleaning the books and getting guys on good contracts, and somehow we’re going to blow $40MM in cap space on Lonzo + Steven Adams when we already have 2 pretty good centers that cost a total of $7MM/year? No thanks. Sure, if NOP wants to send us 2 unprotected 1sts for that, then ok, but somehow I don’t see that happening.

If the idea is to trade Mitch as part of getting Lonzo and then somehow taking on Adams, that is horrible too.

I saw an article yesterday that said the reason Drummond is not playing is that he wouldn’t accept a backup role on the Cavs while they develop Allen. So if he’s bought out, he’s probably going somewhere he’s going to start. I don’t think the Knicks are in that conversation unless Mitch is potentially on the market. That was a scenario I brought up awhile back. Depending on how they feel about Mitch long term, they could trade him and either add Drummond or make Nerlens the starter. Depending on who you got for Mitch the team could be improved. I’m not in favor of Drummond and I like Mitch. But I am not 100% opposed to moving him for the right player. I just don’t know who it would be that would make me happy.

cybersoze: But why would we do such a move? Mitch and Noel are a very good tandem at C, do we wanna disrupt that?

Iā€™m not a big fan of Drummond either. Iā€™m just reporting whatā€™s out there

@ShamsCharania
The Cleveland Cavaliers are finalizing a deal to send JaVale McGee to the Denver Nuggets, sources tell @TheAthletic

It has begun…

Early Bird:
I wouldnā€™t hate signing Drummond off waivers (we really should get some comp for him tho). If the Knicks are committed to playing him at PF behind Randle I could live with it given how bad Obi has played. I donā€™t think itā€™ll work out, and then I worry he starts taking Noel/Mitchā€™s minutes at C, but I donā€™t hate, hate taking a flyer on him. Okay, maybe Iā€™d hate it a little bit.

Since Drummond will be playing for his next contract, if he becomes available via the UFA route due to buyout, he will want assurances about his role on any potential suitor. It would seem Lakers ( as currently circumstanced) offer a better opportunity. If the Knicks are willing to move Noel, who might fetch a low first, that might induce AD to sign. We would be getting a very motivated dude in that circumstance.

300 minutes without doing something stupid? Naaaahhh…
Iā€™m keeping all my fingers crossed and even borrowing some…

This is a great litmus test for the Knicksā€™ FO

A little surprised we didn’t kick the tires on Delon Wright. The cost was two seconds and he’s signed for next year at $8.5M. I wouldn’t have included the Pistons’ second, but I wouldn’t have been distraught if we traded two other seconds for him.

Pursuing short-term wins isn’t my cup of tea so it’s still probably not a trade I would’ve made, but within the framework of the plan the team seems to have settled on (pursue short-term wins if the cost isn’t high and flexibility is retained) it would’ve been a logical move.

Bo Nateman: Since Drummond will be playing for his next contract,if he becomes available via the UFA route due to buyout, he will want assurances about his role on any potential suitor. It would seem Lakers ( as currently circumstanced) offer a better opportunity. If the Knicks are willing to move Noel, who might fetch a low first, that might induce AD to sign. We would be getting a very motivateddude in that circumstance.

If we offer Drummond $10M+ guaranteed this year, I’m not sure he can afford to say no

Per Woj, the bounty for JeVale

Denver is acquiring center Cleveland center JaVale McGee for Isaiah Hartenstein and two future protected second-round picks, sources tell ESPN.

Mitch, if traded, should fetch us something good. I’m sorry buy Mitch is locked up for the paltry price of $1 million dollars next year and has started most of the season on the top rated defense in the league. And despite his limited offensive game, he is a great pick and roll man and lob threat and could potentially be a season away from expanding his offensive game. I would be open to trading Mitch for the right price but it should be something good. Like top 20 first round pick good. Sorry but I think he’s a great trade piece and we shouldn’t trade him for nothing.

Noel as well. Older, but still….it should be a first. I could see a scenario where we trade Noel, leave Mitch as the back up and start Drummond. I guess I wouldn’t HATE that but honestly DRummond just seems pointless given where are team’s strengths and weaknesses are.

delon wright would’ve been a pretty good fit both on the court and financially…

Not ready to sell mitch for simply the potential of a playoff series win with drummond, which we already might do without him… more would have to happen… but if its too much, then the team and our emotional bond with them (much less them with each other in the locker room) takes a significant hit… drummond might mean nothing to us long term… we’re not invested in him… HOWEVER, on the flip side, at 27, he’s also kinda youngish, maybe its still an investment worth making… i was actually surprised to check his age and seem him at 27… he’s a bit of a dinosaur in terms of playing style, but he can play with some toughness, and we all like toughness

Hey, Drummond had a big game against the Knicks early in the year. Small sample size, you say? Knox’s 3 on 3 worked out great!!

E, all merc’d out:
Hey, Drummond had a big game against the Knicks early in the year.Small sample size, you say?Knoxā€™s 3 on 3 worked out great!!

That is unfortunately a common reason teams trade for some one

Okay, this is a much bigger deal:

@wojespn
Orlando is trading Nikola Vucevic Al-Farouq Aminu to Chicago, sources tell ESPN.

@wojespn
Bulls are also sending Otto Porter in the deal to Magic, source tells ESPN.

And more:

@wojespn
Here’s the deal: The Bulls land Nikola Vucevic and Al Farouq Aminu for Otto Porter, Wendell Carter Jr., and two first-round picks. Huge addition for Chicago, who remains in pursuit of Lonzo Ball. The Magic are moving toward a rebuild now with Aaron Gordon deal on deck.

it’s not the vucevic isn’t good, but pairing him at 30 with lavine, whose biggest weakness (tho somewhat less bad) is defense doesn’t seem like the making of a real contender. but vuc has a declining contract so that helps. guess we’ll see where gordon goes now.

The Bulls being in pursuit of Lonzo is interesting. They just sent Orlando their ’21 and ’23 firsts, plus Porter and Carter. What other assets do they have that NOLA would want?

wowza on that Vucevic deal

Wondering – would anyone think about kicking the tires on getting Fultz? Prob could buy pretty low right now.

@wojespn
Chicago’s leadership — Arturas Karnisovas, Marc Eversley and Billy Donovan — wanted to bring on productive, serious-minded veteran player to be a cornerstone for the Bulls. They get one with All-Star center Nikola Vucevic, who’s been a pillar with Orlando.

I think Vuc is a very good player. But I’m suddenly less annoyed that we let Karnisovas go to Chicago, because this is still a very weird deal.

Frank:
wowza on that Vucevic deal

Wondering ā€“ would anyone think about kicking the tires on getting Fultz? Prob could buy pretty low right now.

If they’re giving him away, sure but he’s still young enough to be part of the apparent rebuild and he’s fucking terrible and injured for the rest of the season.

Alan: I think Vuc is a very good player. But Iā€™m suddenly less annoyed that we let Karnisovas go to Chicago, because this is still a very weird deal.

Really weird. If Vucevic were younger this would make more sense to build their team around him and LaVine. It definitely improves their team but I don’t know by how much and I would imagine it limits their ability to do anything else. I would assume Aaron Gordon is the next one out.

@TheSteinLine
The Knicks have emerged as a team to register interest in Orlando’s Evan Fournier, league sources say, while Boston also remains strongly linked to Fournier and other bidders could emerge depending on where Toronto’s Kyle Lowry lands. Three-plus hours to go until the trade buzzer

Fournier is better than Bullock and/or Burks, but given that he’s a free agent, what’s the most you’d give up for him? Frank or Knox, plus a second?

That’s a LOT to give up by the Bulls, particularly if there’s no protection on the picks.

Maybe Fournier could be snagged on the cheap now. I like him.

Not gonna lie, I would have traded Julius Randle in a fucking flash if we got offered 2 1RPs and a good young player for him. Great deal for Orlando and a really dumb one for Chicago. That trade looks like Steve Mills made it.

Julius Randle for two Chicago unprotected 1s, WCJ, and expiring OPJ? No brainer. Done.

The Knicks should have had Julius in that marketplace, but they almost certainly didn’t. Mistake number one of the day, albeit inchoate.

Great deal for Orlando, since the Bulls should suck for a while. They’ll probably trade Lauri now and maybe some other pieces.

I certainly wouldn’t mind Fournier – would be great for the 2nd unit in terms of shot creation and shooting, but he is sort of a rich man’s Alec Burks and makes 3x the salary? And will likely cost north of $15MM to re-sign.

For this particular season, I think backup 4 is a much bigger problem than backup wing.

For future seasons it seems you should trade for guys who are not expiring or who you at least have matching rights on.

Not sure I would trade much at all for Fournier. Sure, Knox and a non-DET 2nd, but not more than that.

Although, If they get Ball, a Ball/LaVine/Aminu/Pat Williams/Vucevic lineup isn’t terrible. It just doesn’t have a lot of growth potential.

I’d consider today a success if we didn’t trade any draft capital and somehow came away with Eric Bledsoe, the Lakers’ 1RP, and Evan Fournier. Honestly, between Burks, Bullock, and Barrett I don’t think we need Fournier. Bledsoe is an upgrade over Payton, his 22-23 salary is a partial guarantee, and it could net us a 3rd 1RP in this draft. The Bledsoe deal is the one we should make; we win now and in the future.

looks like fournier to the celts for two seconds. seems like that means no gordon to boston?

I’d jump on Markkanen if he’s available, which he probably is.

ess-dog:
Although, If they get Ball, a Ball/LaVine/Aminu/Pat Williams/Vucevic lineup isnā€™t terrible. It just doesnā€™t have a lot of growth potential.

I just don’t understand how Chicago can rationalize taking a young fringe play-in team and mortgage their future for a 30 year old center who doesn’t play defense. If the Knicks did some stupid shit like this for Zach LaVine I’d be depressed, and we’re actually better than the Bulls and LaVine fits our win curve so it would make a ton more sense. This is a horrendous move for the Bulls.

Celtics are grabbing Fournier, which is hilarious. They could have turned their trade exception into 3 years of cost controlled Myles Turner and instead they get 2 months of Evan Fournier.

2 firsts is a lot for a bad team to give up. Gotta assume Orlando is going to try to move Porter to a playoff team.

It’s a horrific deal for the Bulls. Millsian. (*) If they now don’t resign Markkanen or trade him for pennies on the dollar it will make it even worse.

(*) I mean, shit — it’s really not *that* much better than giving up 2 1s for Eddy Curry who was at least still very young. It might be worse. Again, dependent on protections.

My brother is a Bulls fan and is somehow optimistic about that trade. He’s going to have a rough few next years, I think.

Non-trade news: Bullock is out tonight with an unspecified injury. Frank time! Assuming he’s still on the roster by tonight. If not… Theo Pinson time? I can’t imagine it being Iggy time.

LMAO the Bulls got top four protections on the 2021 pick. I cannot believe Chicago only interviewed one guy for the POBO job there.

Has anyone yet realized that Drummond sucks?

It’s rare I’m totally with the consensus, but even I don’t like Drummond. šŸ™‚

I’m not a huge Fournier fan, but I think giving up two 2nds for him is a good deal for Boston. They had to do something to shake things up over there. He can shoot and score. He’s not as versatile as Gordon Hayward, but he can play.

Yeah, weird trade for the Bulls. I think Vuc is going to be productive for a while, but their team is pretty bare and clinging to Thaddeus Young renaissance. And it is not like they were overflowing with 1st round picks like OKC (they weren’t missing any, either, but they are not in a position to spend them so lightly).

Deeefense:
Iā€™m not a huge Fournier fan, but I think giving up two 2nds for him is a good deal for Boston.They had to do something to shake things up over there. He can shoot and score. Heā€™s not as versatile as Gordon Hayward, but he can play.

In a vacuum it’s not a bad deal, but when you consider what they could have gotten for the trade exception it’s obvious they played their hand poorly.

The fact that we did not get Fournier is making me a bit nervous that some other trade is brewing…

E, all merc’d out: Markkanen (…) for pennies on the dollar

If it’s for pennies on the dollar, he’d be a very good backup PF for us to get. And of course, we’d all laugh more often to Clyde’s variations of his name. Better do as with Frank, and just call him Lauri.

***My brother is a Bulls fan and is somehow optimistic about that trade. Heā€™s going to have a rough few next years, I think.***

I mean, this trade DOES make the Bulls better this year and next year, and maybe even beyond that. It just doesnā€™t make them good ENOUGH. (At least, not good enough to win a playoff series, as things stand).

I have no idea what Chicago is thinking, but they should stop. I’m not even sure they are going to be a lot better this year, let alone long term. IMO, they got killed on this deal. If Vuc was a serious defender also I could see it. but I don’t get this at all.

That’s a disaster of a trade for Chicago. Feels like Karnisovas was overruled. They’re still not very good, the LaVine situation is still unsettled, they’ve lost a reasonably intriguing piece in WCJ, and they’re out two lightly protected (it seems) picks.

If we didn’t top that offer for Fournier, Aller must have a lot of pull. I’m certainly not complaining! Just not used to passing the Marshmallow Test.

Chicago is all in on LaVine. They better hope his play this year is real.

LaVine & Vucevic should make a good inside-outside combo, and BPM loves both this year, but I’m not sold on the duo. Either way that’s a hefty price tag in players & picks.

thenoblefacehumper: If we didnā€™t top that offer for Fournier, Aller must have a lot of pull. Iā€™m certainly not complaining! Just not used to passing the Marshmallow Test.

Don’t start to celebrate before Oladipo gets traded to somewhere else other than MSG.

How good is Fournier on D?

Thibs is the guy pushing for win-now moves and seemingly loves Bullock’s D. Plus, his shooting is good enough to be solid on offense.

If IQ is a SG, then Fournier gets in his way too.

Still seems like the kind of deal the Knicks were looking to make.

Just a terrible trade for Chicago IMO. Vucevic is a nice player but likely to be a liability in any playoff series because of his defense. Lavine is already an average defender at best. They also took themselves largely out of FA this summer (most likely). Even if they do something else weird to get Lonzo, is Lavine/Lonzo/Vuc a core that will make noise? (no)

Early Bird:
Chicago is all in on LaVine. They better hope his play this year is real.

They better hope he doesn’t have eyes for the Knicks or the Heat. Both are better options and more glamorous markets.

Fournier is a 3/2. His TS% this year is over .600 and it was almost .600 last year. He can get his own shot down the stretch, including troisfectas. He’s a real, actual NBA-caliber starter. He would have been a big upgrade on Bu-Bu. I’d have beat the package.

Windhorst says Lowry is expecting to go to Philadelphia. Here’s hoping we can step in to snag Seth as the price for facilitating. (I pitched this to a Sixers fan friend, who went apoplectic at the idea of losing him.)

Donnie Walsh:
***My brother is a Bulls fan and is somehow optimistic about that trade. Heā€™s going to have a rough few next years, I think.***

I mean, this trade DOES make the Bulls better this year and next year, and maybe even beyond that. It just doesnā€™t make them good ENOUGH. (At least, not good enough to win a playoff series, as things stand).

Yeah, they might be somewhat better, but they’re pretty locked into the mediocrity treadmill now and I don’t really see their path to improving from here. If a few seasons slightly above .500 before they have to blow it up again is enough for him to be happy with the team, I’d almost envy him haha.

Alan:
Windhorst says Lowry is expecting to go to Philadelphia. Hereā€™s hoping we can step in to snag Seth as the price for facilitating. (I pitched this to a Sixers fan friend, who went apoplectic at the idea of losing him.)

Agree
I’d even take on Mike Scott, who would actually be a useful backup PF for us.

by the way Alan – against my better judgement I have started watching Justice League… and it’s not bad….
truthfully would be only 3 hours if he just stopped the Carmina Burana music and the slo-mos every 45 seconds.

Frank, all I will say is that I had a very brief discussion with my editors about whether Justice League would be the movie critic’s responsibility or mine, and I felt incredibly relieved to be told that film was handling it.

Fournier is a 3/2. His TS% this year is over .600 and it was almost .600 last year. He can get his own shot down the stretch, including troisfectas. Heā€™s a real, actual NBA-caliber starter. He would have been a big upgrade on Bu-Bu. Iā€™d have beat the package.

All good reasons we can look into signing him in 3 months

@JCMacriNBA
One thing Iā€™ll add: New York letting Fournier pass them by for 2 seconds indicates the pull that Aller has in the FO and/or that they think thereā€™s another deal out there that makes better use of their space today.

My brother is a Bulls fan and is somehow optimistic about that trade.

Fanboys could watch their team draft a literal ham sandwich with the #1 overall pick and post on Reddit, like, “Intriguing prospect. Really see a lot of upside there. Give it six or seven years before you call it a bust.”

Watching Warriors fans go from ecstasy over Steph, Klay, Durant and Draymond to finding optimism in Paschall, Wiseman, Oubre, Russell and Wiggins has been nothing short of enlightening about the human condition. When a team goes to five consecutive Finals and then pins its hopes to Andrew Wiggins, you’d expect a bit more pushback. Nope. They put on the Dubs jerseys and become sure-thing future Finals MVPs.

Alan:

In before Oladipo trade and verbal extension

E, all merc’d out:
Fournier is a 3/2.His TS% this year is over .600 and it was almost .600 last year.He can get his own shot down the stretch, including troisfectas.Heā€™s a real, actual NBA-caliber starter.He would have been a big upgrade on Bu-Bu.Iā€™d have beat the package.

Indeed, but he would be the real definition of merc: veteran, highly paid, with no commitment to the future of the team. He would be an upgrade, but i am not sure he is good enough (or young enough) to give him a long term contract afterwards. And if he is, we can still do it this summer.

Shams:

The Orlando Magic are progressing on a trade to send Aaron Gordon to the Denver Nuggets, sources tell @TheAthletic

So Boston may come out of the deadline with nothing but Fournier? Man.

Looks like Aaron Gordon to the Nuggets.
Depending on the specifics, I really like this trade for Denver. They had no one to guard the Lebrons and Kawhis of the world, and you have to think Gordon will prosper playing more 4 and cutting off action from Jokic and Murray. And he’s on a good contract. Have to figure big assets going to Orlando

Haha fuck the Celtics.

Magic are being smart to tear it down, although I thought they could get more for Fournier

Smaller deal, but one that will leave Washington short-handed tonight:

@wojespn
Washington is trading Troy Brown and Mo Wagner to Chicago for Daniel Gafford and Chandler Hutchinson, sources tell ESPN.

just got alert that “philly does not feel theyre the favorite to land Lowry”

Alan:
Frank, all I will say is that I had a very brief discussion with my editors about whether Justice League would be the movie criticā€™s responsibility or mine, and I felt incredibly relieved to be told that film was handling it.

Your boy MZS seemed to like it.

Matt and I don’t always agree on things, and he’s big on creators with pure visions. I don’t much like Snyder’s work, but I cannot deny that the man has a specific vision for his work.

I like what Orlando is doing

Another 1st although presumably not a good one.
RJ Hampton will get some run now – should be interesting
The guys they traded away were not doing well anyway – best to reset

Harris, Hampton, and a 1RP is a pretty nice haul for Gordon. Starting to feel jealous about Orlando’s teardown.

In 2019, I bet a lot of teams would’ve signed up for a future Cole Anthony-RJ Hampton backcourt lol.

E, all merc’d out:
Fournier is a 3/2.His TS% this year is over .600 and it was almost .600 last year.He can get his own shot down the stretch, including troisfectas.Heā€™s a real, actual NBA-caliber starter.He would have been a big upgrade on Bu-Bu.Iā€™d have beat the package.

He’s definitely better offensively than Bullock, that’s why I asked if anyone knew anything about his D. I’ve always assumed it was solid but don’t know. That kind of thing will matter a lot to Thibs who is pushing for win-now. If he’s not behind Fournier, then it’s not happening.

And Fournier is great this year but historically hasn’t done as well. But yeah, I generally agree.

thenoblefacehumper:
I wouldā€™ve liked to buy low on Troy Brown

same…not sure if it was because he always seemed to shine against the knicks but he seems pretty solid…

Weā€™re probably not going to steal Mo Bamba from Orlando and that makes me sad.

@wojespn
Sacramento is finalizing a deal to send Nemanja Bjelica to the Miami. Heat, sources tell ESPN.

@TommyBeer
The Magicā€™s highest scorers this season, among the remaining players on the roster that are healthy, are Dwayne Bacon and James Ennis. Top assist man is Chasson Randle

Orlando is flat out crushing the trade deadline. They’re the 4th worse team in the NBA but somehow managed to net 3 1RPs, two good young prospects, and 2 2RPs before lunch was over. That’s great work.

Aaron Gordon seems like a nice fit on Denver but he’s one of those guys where the theory of him pretty vastly exceeds the actual production. You’re putting a good amount of faith in the idea that he’s going to be better in a different situation. Orlando is getting a good amount of draft capital for selling the core of a 15-29 team.

Orlando has a very good chance of having the two lottery picks in this draft that a bunch of us hoped the Knicks would wind up having.

Bye Bye Austin Rivers.

Terrance Ferguson?

At one point it looked like he might be able to play, but lately?

Couldn’t they throw in some coupons for a Taco Bell chalupa?

I guess the Knicks figured we’re done playing the Jazz this season so why keep Rivers around?

I didnā€™t know Ferguson wasnā€™t on the Thunder anymore, which made this trade a bit confusing at first. (btw, I like that we trade Rivers for a Sixer and Rivers still ends up NOT with his dad)

huh – Iggy goes in the deal also. Opening up a roster spot for something….

Per Woj:

Woj: Knicks also send Iggy Brazdeikis to Philadelphia in the three-way deal, per sources.

We lost Iggy :.(

there are 2 second round picks somewhere in that PHI/OKC/NYK deal. Have to figure we are getting 1 of those. Not sure what the purpose would be in us being in the trade then. Not like Ferguson had much value?

Frank:
huh ā€“ Iggy goes in the deal also. Opening up a roster spot for somethingā€¦.

All G-League first teamer Jared Harper?

Have to think this is a prelude to another trade where we need the extra roster space. Maybe we got a 2nd rd pick back that no one has mentioned yet…

What does the Norm Powell deal signify? That Toronto is folding their hand? Or is there a non-basketball related motive to sending him off?

Terrence Ferguson has a .143 TS% on 9.5% usage this year. Is he a point-shaver?

Lonzo Ball is still in play but New Orleans wants a 2021 1st rounder included. I think that takes the Bulls out of the process if NO is serious about wanting a 2021 pick. Rumor the Knicks have an offer on the table.

What does the Norm Powell deal signify? That Toronto is folding their hand? Heā€™s good, isnā€™t he?

i think it was masai wanting to get something for a guy who was def opting out and about to get really expensive…. and he did pretty well…

Ferguson isnā€™t all that exciting, but there was a time he was thought to have some intrigue so canā€™t complain about getting him for Rivers and Iggy. Anything else would be gravy.

ferguson is most certainly getting renounced this offseason so it’s nothing more than getting a couple month inside look to decide if he’s worth the vet min…. and that’s probably still a no….

From SportingNews.com on this NBA trade deadline day:
“You get a Magic player! And you get a Magic player! And you get a Magic player!”

The Raptors were asking for Tyrese Maxey, Matisse Thybulle, and two first-round picks from Philadelphia in exchange for Lowry, which I guess was too much for Morey to pay. (Not sure how the Lakers come up with anything close to that, or anybody else for that matter, seeing as he turned 35 today and is an UFA this summer).

Thunder now have 17 firsts and 17 seconds in the next seven drafts. And a future superstar PG on the roster for the next ten years. Presti reads Knickerblogger.

Sounds like we got Philly’s 2nd rounder this year. Not too shabby.

Also hearing we are taking calls on Mitchell Robinson. šŸ™

I believe the pick coming to the Knicks is the Philadelphia 2nd-rounder. Sixers own the Knicks 2021 2nd rounder.— Steve Popper (@StevePopper) March 25, 2021

Brock Aller, shot caller

At some point all those OKC picks will have a diminishing return. You can’t draft all those players. You have to try to trade some of the picks for a star, but it isn’t easy to get a star to go to OKC. That goes double when they are in the early stages of a rebuild. It will interesting to see how they play that hand and whether any stars are willing to go to a team in OKC that is notoriously cheap.

The thing is, though, OKC can package picks in any given draft to get their guy(s). They basically have free reign in the next few years to get top talent, and any excess picks can be kicked down the road for future picks.

With the 76ers 2nd rounder maybe we can draft someone better than Terrance Ferguson. šŸ™‚

Maybe we can trade that pick for some coupons for a Taco Bell chalupa?

I have a thing for chalupas today.

Mike Honcho:
The thing is, though, OKC can package picks in any given draft to get their guy(s). They basically have free reign in the next few years to get top talent, and any excess picks can be kicked down the road for future picks.

I hear you. Maybe they can keep packaging them to move up, but that’s sometimes easier said than done.

At some point all those OKC picks will have a diminishing return. You canā€™t draft all those players. You have to try to trade some of the picks for a star, but it isnā€™t easy to get a star to go to OKC. That goes double when they are in the early stages of a rebuild. It will interesting to see how they play that hand and whether any stars are willing to go to a team in OKC that is notoriously cheap.

They can also trade up in the draft to just about any slot they want outside of the top 5 or so, as we just saw them do to nab Poku. Even if some of the picks aren’t utilized optimally, they can literally never hurt.

***Brock Aller, shot caller***

Is Aller pronounced with an ā€œerā€ sound at the end or an ā€œayā€ sound? Cause with a French accent you can also say ā€œBrock Aller, hip hip hoorayā€.

OKC has so many picks they’ll have a lot of options. Their own picks will all be in the lottery and with that many extra 1st and 2nd rounders, I imagine they’ll be doing a lot of swapping up to get top of the draft talent over the next few years. And they could also package a bunch of them to get a star on a long term deal, which I imagine they’re waiting for the right player to come along that fits that description. A young star on the rise on a multiyear deal.

But yes, they can’t just keep all of those picks and make them.

I need to see part II of this trade. There has to be something else. Otherwise it was just a way to get two players that were never going to see the floor to another team.

@JCMacriNBA
Lot’s still being discussed, but my guess is that the Knicks either get in on a 3-team trade involving Lowry (as @StevePopper reported) or they end up with Lonzo. As has been reported elsewhere I’m sure, they have an offer on the table. I’m told it does not include Mitch.

T-Ferg looked like he was coming along nicely and then just had a terrible pandemic. Not sure if he’s being viewed as a long-term piece, but I think he belongs in the league if he can right the ship.

And as an athletic wing defender, he sorta feels like a soon-to-be replacement for Frank!

Turd Ferguson is only 22yo. It’s an upgrade over Iggy, and only cost us Rivers. It’s an OK move, i guess.

Toronto is trading guard Matt Thomas to the Utah Jazz for a future second-round pick, source tells ESPN.

Now it’s certain they are trading Lowry. To what team and if the Knicks are facilitating the deal, that’s the real question.

Woj tweeted about an hour ago that the Knicks are getting Ball for Payton/Knox/the Dallas 2021 1st.

Is that confirmed??

Doug Chu:
Woj tweeted about an hour ago that the Knicks are getting Ball for Payton/Knox/the Dallas 2021 1st.

Is that confirmed??

No. I didn’t see that on his Twitter.

Does OKC hoarding all the picks devalue them a little bit? Can other teams ask for more from them because OKC has an abundance of assets and canā€™t use them all in the draft themselves?

@ShamsCharania
The Hawks are in serious talks on Rajon Rondo to the Clippers for a Lou Williams package, sources tell me and @sam_amick. Williams could land in Atlanta or a third team.

Would be kind of funny to wind up with IQ teaming up with his favorite player.

Doug Chu:
Woj tweeted about an hour ago that the Knicks are getting Ball for Payton/Knox/the Dallas 2021 1st.

Is that confirmed??

I don’t see that, you looking at a troll account?

No. I didnā€™t see that on his Twitter.

It was a Woj impostor account. Doesn’t even have a username remotely like Woj’s.

All kinds of thunderstorms in East Tennessee today, presaging something big happening involving the Knicks. At least, that’s my interpretation.
šŸ™‚

Alan: Would be kind of funny to wind up with IQ teaming up with his favorite player.

Is that a good trade for the Clippers? :O

Woj: Forty minutes left until the deadline now.

Getting kind of anxious, better go make a cup of tea

Seems like a dumb trade for the Clippers, but I don’t know anything so there’s that.

Lou Williams and two 2nd round picks for Rondo? How does that make sense for LAC?

Shams Charania @ShamsCharania:
No third team: Lou Williams will play for the Atlanta Hawks in his return to his home state of Georgia, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium

I’m nervous everyone is off the table except the three players most often linked to the Knicks. One of those players would be a solid move the other two absolute tragedies.

vincoug:
Lou Williams and two 2nd round picks for Rondo?How does that make sense for LAC?

I guess Rondo’s playoff run last year convinced them that he can turn it on if motivated. And they need more an assists guy, I guess. Lou Williams has not been good this year, in any case.

Knew Your Nicks:
200 years ago on March 25th of 1821 started the Greek Revolution against the Ottoman Empire.
It would be nice to remember this anniversary as the day the Knicks FO raised once more the flag of Intelligence.

Criminally underrated comment.

I know that Kawhi has been saying that the Clippers need a real PG and that they say “playoff Rondo” is better than regular season Rondo, but Lou Williams is a fairly critical part of their bench. I have a funny feeling Kawhi is a better player than GM. šŸ™‚

Ben R:
Iā€™m nervous everyone is off the table except the three players most often linked to the Knicks. One of those players would be a solid move the other two absolute tragedies.

The Lady or the Tiger or Victor Oladipo ?

Lou Will for Rondo feels like robbing Peter to pay Paul. While itā€™s true that Lou isnā€™t playable on defense during crunch time, what if you wouldnā€™t be in crunch time in the first place without his offense? A basket in the first quarter counts the same as in the fourth quarter.

Lou wasn’t even playing for the Clippers, so I don’t think it’s a big loss. They could use a point guard and they weren’t getting someone good with their bare cupboard of assets.

Brian Cronin:
Lou wasnā€™t even playing for the Clippers, so I donā€™t think itā€™s a big loss. They could use a point guard and they werenā€™t getting someone good with their bare cupboard of assets.

Yeah but Rondo’s playing even less for the Hawks.

LAC putting a looooot of faith in playoff Rondo. He was awesome last year for the Lakers but the idea that he turns it on every year or whatever is a little overblown. He was better for the Pelicans in the playoffs than he was in the regular season but that’s pretty much all you can say, and it’s faint praise. He also had two good games in Chicago before he got hurt. That’s the sum total of his “playoff Rondo” bonafides over the last decade. Everything else is ancient history.

That makes sense. I hadnā€™t been paying attention to him this season. I checked his game logs and his minutes are down; thereā€™s a bunch of sub-10 minute games.

New US prez’s first news conference. A pandemic still. Another spate of mass shootings in the country. And me on twitter refreshing Woj every 30 seconds…

TheClashFan:
New US prezā€™s first news conference. A pandemic still.Another spate of mass shootings in the country.And me on twitter refreshing Woj every 30 secondsā€¦

same

Adrian Wojnarowski
@wojespn
No Lonzo Ball trade, sources tell ESPN. He’s staying in New Orleans.

Per woj
No Lonzo Ball trade, sources tell ESPN. He’s staying in New Orleans.

Woj tweeted about an hour ago that the Knicks are getting Ball for Payton/Knox/the Dallas 2021 1st.

Is that confirmed??

That seems like what it would take if Payton waived his no-trade.

Marc Berman
@NYPost_Berman
Knicks catch break PG Lonzo Ball not heading to Chicago and will have crack at him this summer. They didn’t want to give up assets now.

Bobby Marks @BobbyMarks42:
Toronto has 2 open roster spots and any Kyle Lowry trade would likely be a 4 (or 3) for 1 type deal.

I’m not buying Lowry staying in Toronto

cybersoze: Iā€™m not buying Lowry staying in Toronto

Deadline is past. There could be some trades that NBA is still approving but at this point everything has to have been submitted to NBA and somebody would have reported on it.

No Oladipo trade is interesting. Seems like his name value wasn’t worth much in the end and the rest of the league sees what we see.

edit: and I spoke like ten seconds too soon lol

Genuinely surprised a Lowry trade didn’t get done. I do wish that we used our cap space for a little more than Ferguson, but whatever

KB Apprentice: same

Yeah. Listening to Biden, Refreshing Woj.
What did that silly trade accomplish for the Knicks? Did we get back our 2nd? Is that it?

Very interesting question from TheStrickland, let’s have another frank-thread. šŸ˜€

The Strickland @TheStrickland:
It appears that Frank Ntilikina has survived his 4th NBA trade deadline
Could he be the player to finally break the Charlie Ward Curse this summer?

Yeah, figured Oladipo would be going to wherever the best offer came from.

Kinda surprised that both Knox and Frank are still on the Knicks.

Seeming to go for the tear down option but keeping Lowry is not a choice I understand honestly.

Well, ok.

I’m fine with this. I mean, I do want Lonzo and was hoping we’d make a deal for him and was even making peace with giving up a 1st to do it. But I like that we’re exercising patience and caution and not making deals just to make them. Our team is wildly exceeding expectations and now we can go after him this summer and we still got our picks. I like that we’re not going all in yet. For once it feels good to have a FO that has a long term plan and some patience.

Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn: The Raptors are keeping Kyle Lowry, source tells ESPN.

And he stays put after all. :O

Bobby Marks
@BobbyMarks42
If a player on an expiring contract makes it past the deadline, that does not mean a team will lose him for nothing.

Since the 2019 offseason, there have been 16 players that were signed-and-traded with the sending team recouping something in return.

From 2015-18= 4 players

I would have liked to use some cap space to get some middling assets but I’m relieved we didn’t do anything stupid.

Stefan Bondy @SBondyNYDN: The Knicks, after saving their cap space, are still in position for a run at Andre Drummond when heā€™s bought out.

Bondy is still banging this drum (mond) , why?

vincoug: For Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk, and a pick swap.

So the price was pretty close to zero and the Knicks still didn’t bite. That’s very encouraging. Overall very good day for us honestly. A front office that understands that “do nothing” is sometimes the best option is exactly what we need for where we are now and something we haven’t had in a long time.

I am VERY surprised the FO didn’t try to beat that Miami offer. Maybe there’s hope?

Ian Begley @IanBegley: The Knicks are officially done for the day, per source. They donā€™t have any active deals.

Deeefense: Frank survives another trade deadline.
Take that haters! šŸ™‚

It’s official, Strat is Frank’s father. šŸ˜€

Why is there any Drummond talk still going on? He causes more problems than he fixes. The rumors only sorta made sense if Mitch was going to be included in a trade for another player. Since that didn’t happen I don’t see why the Knicks would still be going after Andre.

Theis to the Bulls for Mo Wagner. Chriss to the Spurs.

Pretty boring deadline.

Itā€™s official, Strat is Frankā€™s father. šŸ˜€

LaVar Stratomatic

I have to say, I’m pretty glad we did close to zilch.
Curious about the cap space implications of the huge Terrance Ferguson trade.

DRed:
Celtics traded Theis for Mo Wagner??

Exactly my reaction. Ainge is not at the level he used to be, clearly.

Boring, but we leave with more picks than we came in with without having given up, well, anything.

B+

Wait – so we still have all this cap space? Was tied up the last 30-40 min or so and so am wondering whether I missed something.

thenoblefacehumper:
Boring, but we leave with more picks than we came in with without having given up, well, anything.

Woj and Begley didn’t confirm the pick. And Bobby Marks counted the 2 picks for OKC on that tweet about the million picks OKC has in the next drafts. I’m afraid we didn’t get a pick in that deal, so it’s probably only Terrance Ferguson and nothing else.

Wait ā€“ so we still have all this cap space? Was tied up the last 30-40 min or so and so am wondering whether I missed something.

Yeah, if they don’t wind up using it that will be a major failure. They have through the draft basically.

So that extra cap space we have this season, is there anything we can do with it besides picking up players that are waived?

Are we able to use it in trades during the off season?

Exale…

Good show from the FO,
No stupid moves and as long as scrubs go Ferguson and Poirier (plus maybe a very late second) are equal or better than the out-of-the-rotation Rivers and Iggy.

One big hurdle left, avoid Drummond, but the Lakers and Boston (after moving Theis) are rumored as favorites.

Now let’s beat the undermanned Wizards…

thenoblefacehumper: Yeah, if they donā€™t wind up using it that will be a major failure. They have through the draft basically.

I guess is possible they package picks + leverage cap space (ie. take bad contract) to move up to get someone they really like.

I am impressed with the restraint here.
My guess is they had something lined up with Toronto, Philly, and LA to take on some salary if/when the Lowry trade happened, but it didn’t, and so that was it.

Feels like a bit of a missed opportunity to not use the cap space for something more, but we don’t know what opportunities were available, and I think “first do no harm” was the most important principle to consider today.

There’s still a chance Aller can make use of that space before free agency officially begins, though it was much more valuable today than it will be after the season, since several more teams will have space after the moratorium.

Here’s the explanation for the Daniel Theis deal – money!

Bobby Marks @BobbyMarks42: Boston needed to clear a roster spot and this will get them under the luxury tax.

Shams Charania @ShamsCharania: LaMarcus Aldridge is finalizing a contract buyout with the San Antonio Spurs, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium

Could we get him to be backup PF?

Don’t get me wrong I’m glad we did nothing stupid but I am sad we weren’t able to use our cap space or expiring vets like Bullock, Burks, Payton, or Rose to pick up any picks or young players. I would have loved to see us ship out one or two of them even if the return was very small. No reason to keep players that probably have no long-term future here. Out of the three, the only one I wouldn’t mind sticking around is Bullock, simply because he is a plug-and-play player and is a good defender.

I have very little faith that Ferguson is useful at all, I really hope we got some kind of pick. Rivers seems like a good value on that contract and it would have been nice to get something.

I think basically no one wanted Payton for anything. I don’t blame them.
I think we needed to jettison Rivers – it was get something or literally get nothing and just waive him. So turning a waived guy and a guy who clearly was never going to play in Iggy into any pick + a wing who probably doesn’t have potential – it’s meh but not terrible.

I don’t think Burks and Bullock were going anywhere. They’re huge parts of the rotation and unless you’re getting a big upgrade, it’s hard to trade real rotations players out in the middle of a playoff run, especially for 2nd round picks.

cybersoze: Could we get him to be backup PF?

He’s more of a C than a PF these days I think and besides he will probably have better options. Miami is heavily rumored I believe.

Ferguson had a reasonably encouraging second year for a 20 year old. I hope we give him a bit of a look.

Frank:
by the way I am not happy at all about Dallas getting Redick and Melli

I’m happy for Nick Melli, he’s a good “system” player and SVG hates him, he could be best suited for the Mavs (and Doncic knows him from the Euroleague). It’s his last chance before coming back to Europe.

I’m glad I’ll be able to get a close-up look at Terrance Ferguson’s conceptual art project wherein he attempts to find out how little one can do on a basketball court and remain employed- career usage 10%, assist % 4.7, rebound % 3.5. He makes Frank look like Russell Westbrook.

Frank and Knox for Haliburton while threatening the entire Kings FO with ultraviolence, who says no

Yeah, I’ve resigned myself to the fact that the Mavs are probably making the playoffs, so I’m not too concerned about Reddick. I don’t think he’s that good anymore.

cybersoze:
If we donā€™t waive Poirier, our new backup PF isā€¦ Taj! šŸ™

Maybe tonight weā€™ll get some Knox at the four…
According to PoS Berman, thanks to Obi scintillating display Thibsā€™ now feels free to glue Roseā€™s lottery pick to the bench…

We will get another chance at Lonzo this summer, but my guess it that he will be more expensive then. If we had traded for him now, rival teams would have been wary to sign him to an offer sheet, knowing that we would match and it ties their cap space, maybe then we could sign him for less. Now he will sign for the highest bidder during the summer, because teams know that NOP will just match and engineer some kind of S&T to recoup a bit of value.

Back in 2013-14 we could have had Lowry for a 1st rounder… I wonder if this situation is similar. In both cases, there were no PGs in the FA horizon.

To guarantee a Peli non-match would require a max offer sheet and they might even match that. LaVar will agitate, but the Pelis may just tell him to stick it, we’re matching. They should have traded for him. I’d bet a lot of money Thibs was arguing against it, thinking Lonzo would want to push the pace too much, and would cause a PT conundrum with D-Rose and maybe even Payton.

They’re going into next year with D-Rose on a new multi-year deal. Book it.

And now that Thibs has succeeded in marginalizing/not developing Obi, and to not have had his “chemistry” upset by trade deadline newcomers, he’s just going to go full-on almost all-merc the rest of the year. We’ll see IQ 15 minutes a game, probably less.

I mean if the Pellies were making him available now they’ll presumably be open to listening to sign and trade offers over the summer if that’s what we decide we want to do. I have my doubts about whether we’ll be able to get him for “just money” as I do think New Orleans will be pretty open to matching most offers but I don’t see the logic for thinking any window closed today. He’s still in a market that doesn’t seem totally sold on him and that he doesn’t seem happy in and where he’s about to get expensive for a team that’s pretty cheap.

E, I’m sorry but your Thibs hate boner is out of control.

So now Thibs is the reason we didn’t trade for Lonzo? Come on, man.

Randle is 26 and playing at an all-star level. OBi has looked like hot garbage all season. Its Thibs’ fault Obi has looked bad? Seriously? He’s the reason Obi is airballing 3’s?

If the Pelicans would match a max offer for Lonzo, it’s weird that they were shopping him this deadline. My guess is they sign-and-trade him this offseason, and while I’d take the field over the Knicks I think we’re more likely to start the 2021-2022 season with him than any other team.

A couple of snippets on Ferguson, whoā€™s basically a half season flyer.

Hollinger:
New York plays along with the Sixers and Thunder and gets a second-round pick for its efforts, while also getting a free look at Fergusonā€™s 3-and-D potential for the rest of this year.

Harper:
If you believe in Ferguson at the NBA level, this is a nice trade for the Knicks. In three seasons with OKC, Ferguson was a ridiculous athlete who could never quite figure out the scoring portion. Considering he doesnā€™t really have a reliable jumper, struggles to create off the dribble and isnā€™t a playmaker for others, it really limited his ability on offense. Ferguson has been a difference-maker at times on defense, but heā€™s not a lockdown guy by any means. Tom Thibodeau might be able to unlock more of that under his tutelage, but they really need Ferguson to become a guy who consistently knocks down corner 3-pointers and uses his athleticism at the rim often.

Also, I strongly suggest to subscribe to The Athletic if you can, New Yorkā€™s teams coverage is really strong and they have some nice national writer.

E, all mercā€™d out: To guarantee a Peli non-match would require a max offer sheet and they might even match that

If you don’t extend a guy that is looking for a raise to 20M AAV and let him reach RFA, all to then match a max offer would probably mean the next day you were filing the unemployment papers.

On NBA.com there’s no mention of a pick coming to the Knicks. How can we confirm all the details of the deal? We have to wait until the team issues a PR about it?

To summarize:
ā€¢ 76ers add: George Hill, Iggy Brazdeikis
ā€¢ Knicks add: Terrance Ferguson
ā€¢ Thunder add: Austin Rivers, Tony Bradley, 2025 and 2026 second-round picks from 76ers

UPDATE: Just noticed this report is clearly inaccurate, because there’s no mention to Poirier also.

@JakeLFischer
The buyout market for Andre Drummond is expected to center around the Lakers and Knicks, according to league sources.

No thank you!

Ferguson isn’t as good a defender as Frank and his offense is light years behind even Frank. Give him a spin, sure, but that’s his actual rank in the pecking order.

Center has been our most consistent position this year with the Mitch/Noel combo. What is the point of Drummond?

If we sign Drummond I might check out for the rest of the season. Please no to that completely. I cannot believe our front office would really give him a serious look.

E, all merc’d out:
Ferguson isnā€™t as good a defender as Frank and his offense is light years behind even Frank.Give him a spin, sure, but thatā€™s his actual rank in the pecking order.

The second part is just a total falsehood. Iā€™m a Frank Stan, too, but Fergusonā€™s 19 and 20-year-old seasons were significantly better than Frankā€™s, as the French Prince failed to crack the .500 ts barrier both years.

Ferguson also has some playoff experience where he at least played good defense. Heā€™s had a down year with sporadic minutes, but he seems likely to at least regain his form, and he could easily improve.

Orlando is getting a good amount of draft capital for selling the core of a 15-29 team.

i know right, they did an excellent job…

hahahahahahaha – turd ferguson, that was funny…i forgot who linked those snl jeopardy skits from way back some months ago – that shit is hilarious though…

Seems like nobody wanted to dump contracts this year. Teams just wanted to waive players. Turning Rivers into literally anything of value is good. I think the Knicks want Payton still to backup Rose & make a playoff push.

Standing pat isn’t terrible but kinda underwhelming for a franchise that isn’t that well situated this year or for the future.

With Drummond the Lakers would be offering him the potential opportunity to start for a title favorite so you’d assume that means our appeal would have to be financial. If this was a different Knicks front-office I’d be awfully worried about us offering him some awful multi-season deal but I’m a lot less concerned after the patience our front-office showed today. The amount we were linked with Oladipo only for us to sit out even as the bidding went to ~zero suggests there’s a lot of rumor-mongers just linking us with Knicks-y moves without a lot of basis. We saw similar things happen over the summer. It’s going to take some getting used to, but I think we may no longer be the dumbest ones in the room (*knocks on wood*).

We all know why New Orleans might have been willing to move on from Lonzo (money issues), but at the same time, I think it was more a case of “Bowl us over and we’ll move him, but otherwise, we’ll just keep him.” I get not extending him before he improved a lot this season. The whole process makes sense to me. They didn’t want to extend him when he hadn’t played all that well overall, knowing that if he took a step forward, they’d have his RFA rights.

E, all merc’d out:
Ferguson isnā€™t as good a defender as Frank and his offense is light years behind even Frank.Give him a spin, sure, but thatā€™s his actual rank in the pecking order.

Maybe heā€™s just a victim of poor coaching. I mean look what Thibs has done to ruin obi, amirite?

Early Bird:

Standing pat isnā€™t terrible but kinda underwhelming for a franchise that isnā€™t that well situated this year or for the future.

Possible Drummond-foolishness aside (fingers crossed),
an All-Star, a second year player on the rise, a top tier rim protector, a rookie that fits perfectly as a 6th man, no albatross contracts (at least on the roster), lot of cap space and some draft assets (5 firsts in the next three years).

This “not that well situated” is the best situation we’ve been in the last… what, 10 years? 15?

Ferguson isnā€™t as good a defender as Frank and his offense is light years behind even Frank. Give him a spin, sure, but thatā€™s his actual rank in the pecking order.

This is loony. Ferguson once posted an above average TS% with Frank-esque volume!

Ferguson played 2000 not-bad minutes as a 20 year old and was looking like a pretty good prospect at that time. Something has gone wrong since, but heā€™s not without talent.

Heā€™s still only 22, seems like the kind of buy low flier we should be taking.

It seems to me the Knicks mostly were helping other teams and letting players go that they werenā€™t going to use in return for a minor benefit and a different young player to check out. Itā€™s very meh, but itā€™s rational.

Lets pray for dominant games from both Mitch and Noel from here until Drummond signs with the Lakers!

I don’t mind getting Ferguson back for a half season flier. Feels like probably a side step from Iggy, but maybe has the edge on defence. I also have a soft spot for him given he played his draft year in Australia, so I could be biased.

Interesting to see what we do with the extra roster space now. I refuse to buy into the Drummond rumours. it just doesn’t make sense for team and player. Maybe a late Lonzo/Bledsoe deal gets done? Honestly wouldn’t hate just standing pat from here.

Magic also done well. Not doing anything with Vucevic or Gordon and get consecutive years of multiple firsts and a young PG prospect in Hampton. OKC doing well too. 34 draft picks the next seven years is Smaug and his treasure level hoarding.

Knicks are waiving Poirier. Maybe to open a roster spot for Drummond?

Not even here long enough to share a baguette with Frank.

My 4 cents:

1) WTH are the Rockets doing? Riley is on fire, Houston is a tire fire;
2) Drummond to the Knicks would be a lose-lose signing if I’ve ever seen one. Mitch-Noel is fine. Just go to the Lakers and get exposed there (or play like you care and get some respect back);
3) Ainge possibly does not have it anymore and I love it;
4) Ferguson amounts to nothing these days. If Thibs gets anything out him, great.

If r/nba comments from OKC fans are anything to go by: Ferguson had a custody battle over his daughter two years ago and it seems to have derailed his momentum as a player. Might explain why his stats actually got worse after Chris Paul joined the team. I guess it could be worse, as reclamation projects go.

I look forward to reading hundreds of posts about this new acquisition who will probably play 3 minutes a game for the rest of this truncated season and then become a UFA who will be playing in, like, the Adriatic League by year’s end

I look forward to reading hundreds of posts about this new acquisition who will probably play 3 minutes a game for the rest of this truncated season and then become a UFA who will be playing in, like, the Adriatic League by yearā€™s end

The Kadeem Allen Award

The Kadeem Allen Award

never heard of him because I drank bleach to get through those seasons

thenoblefacehumper: This is loony. Ferguson once posted an above average TS% with Frank-esque volume!

One of the beauties of the English language is that it can express both things that obtained (or may have obtained) in the past and things that are the case presently.

Possible Drummond-foolishness aside (fingers crossed),
an All-Star, a second year player on the rise, a top tier rim protector, a rookie that fits perfectly as a 6th man, no albatross contracts (at least on the roster), lot of cap space and some draft assets (5 firsts in the next three years).

This ā€œnot that well situatedā€ is the best situation weā€™ve been in the lastā€¦ what, 10 years? 15?

+1

Ntilikina is starting at the 2, Payton is also starting. If heā€™s gonna have an NBA career, this is the role heā€™ll have to play so should be a good test.

So according to MSG we get two second rounders for our involvement in the Hill deal?

Raven:
ā€œThe most assinine foul in the game.ā€

I love Clyde.

That was a strong statement. Love it

With Frank and The Plague weā€™re back to zero spacing and shooting…

Very good offensive foul from our starting PG, well done Elf…

IQ and Burks please. Also the Knicks are going to really miss Bullock tonight it seems.

RJ with a bad start,
Payton and Frank are unwatchable,
winning the first leg by a gazillion points didnā€™t help us,
weā€™re feeling Bullock absence (what!??!)

Paytonā€™s reading KB šŸ™‚

Heā€™s never been a star, heā€™s old, heā€™s unspectacular, heā€™s limited on offense,
but man, Taj defines the word ā€œprofessionalā€…

I really want to like Alec Burks. And I do.

RJ really, really needs to look for the open man once in a while. When he does everything’s different. But he’s still got bad tunnel vision most of the time.

With Frank and Elf as our starting guards, I guess itā€™s not surprising we only scored twenty points in the first quarter.

Can you imagine what the score would be if werenā€™t playing a shitty team?

Phil Jackson compared the way the media treated him to the way the media treated Donald Trump in a podcast appearance designed specifically to appeal to strat

I don’t understand putting Obi out there just to have him stand in the corner on offense.

westbrook having knox on him and pulling up when he can’t hit a free throw is just classic russ

Considering the Knicks play in Milwaukee on Saturday they better find a way to comeback and win this game.

Signs of life,
we need to get close at the half and then let Thibs scorch them in the locker room…

As bad as toppin may be I swear I forgot Knox was even in the game for last 7 minutes… so … pick your poison. Complete disappearing act or crappy play

Brian was right not to put up a new thread for this game. Doesn’t deserve one.

After this performance the Knicks are gonna offer Drummond their entire remaining salary cap space.

Humble pie half cooked…

They really played like shit, hope Thibs is making them feel like garbage…

Umm, Beal banged his knee into Barrett’s on that drive. Should’ve been a no-call

Gonna have to overcome officials too here. The more the game goes on the more it appears we do miss bullock on both sides of the ball. Despite our depth our rotations are paper thin. How does that make sense

Unless Randle finds his shot again, i’m not seeing how we can turn this around

We’ve seen some games where the offensive completely shits the bed and then that frustration shows up on the other side of the court where the D falls apart at a critical moment.

They need to stay mentally tough and grind things out on offense. Wiz ain’t good enough to put together a natural KO blow. Get the deficit down to 10 or a bit less by the end of the quarter.

Barrett, Randle, and Peyton have taken the majority of shots and combined are at about 25%.

Even if or when we do something good itā€™s one and done. Canā€™t string together multiple positive basketball ā€œthingsā€

Ugh. Yeah you gotta call that on JR but man that’s really incidental.

This is a bizarre game for various reasons. Itā€™s also a terrible one. Iā€™d like Thibs to sit some of these fools. Iā€™ll concede. F these a holes. At least for tonight…

KJG:
This is a bizarre game for various reasons. Itā€™s also a terrible one. Iā€™d like Thibs to sit some of these fools.Iā€™ll concede. F these a holes.

They gotta be A-holes for having a bad night tho? lol

Thing is, who’s subbing in that won’t completely crap the bed on D?

d-mar:
Thibs really should just empty the bench and see what happens

White flag… lol
This game may be slipping away, but emptying the bench takes it from a slip to a full-blown waterpark slide.

A little faith. They need to learn how to come back in games like this. Itā€™s a good opportunity.

The Infamous Cdiggy: They gotta be A-holes for having a bad night tho? lol

Thing is, whoā€™s subbing in that wonā€™t completely crap the bed on D?

Yes, they are! I said for tonight at least. Iā€™m just not as accepting of what Iā€™m seeing. I donā€™t mind the missed FGs. Itā€™s the dumb ones we take and the fouling and the everything else. The players look despondent. Iā€™m conceding.

Everyone taking 100 free throws after game. I do not want to fall two games under after bucks this weekend so letā€™s go here. Someone needs to step up

Well there’s a nice persistent play by Barrett!

Maybe they can take that into the 4th

I like watching Barrett tonight. A lot of mistakes, but heā€™s not hanging his head. Heā€™s still after it.

There does seem to be a general hesitancy out there to shoot. Not taking advantage of the bits of daylight that flashes before the Wizards’ D recovers.

This game may be slipping away, but emptying the bench takes it from a slip to a full-blown waterpark slide.

that was nice šŸ™‚

KB Apprentice:
I like watching Barrett tonight. A lot of mistakes, but heā€™s not hanging his head. Heā€™s still after it.

He should play the entire 2nd half why not. I agree with you. I still think heā€™s capable of helping more than hindering …

Theyā€™re really bad,
even with a subpar performance we could be able to beat them,
but so far tonight we have been really abysmally bad…

To have a chance we need to keep Payton on the bench…

Westbrook was never a great shooter but seriously, what happened? He’s not that old and the J should be the last thing to go…

Even after that steal Obi looked terrified to dribble the ball. Heā€™s such a mess.

d-mar:
Even after that steal Obi looked terrified to dribble the ball. Heā€™s such a mess.

Though he did a funky reverse through the legs dribble. I just wait for a the calamity

d-mar:
Even after that steal Obi looked terrified to dribble the ball. Heā€™s such a mess.

He was like “YES I MADE A DEFENSIVE PLAY.. oh wait oh shit I gotta dribble”

KJG:
The only league pass game break ads are Zion or Ball brothersā€¦ I need more.

Haha. Right.

Jeez guys. These ain’t offensive world beaters – just challenge the shots w/out fouling.

Hmmm. Quickley driving and passing 2x in a row for good shot opps.

There we go! Just hit a few shots in a row! And force Westbrook to shoot.

Max:
Keep Payton on the benchā€¦
Please Thibs keep Payton on the benchā€¦

I’m also wondering if Julius should stay on the bench too. Wiz offense ineptitude is allowing for Obi to stay on the floor.

I think Randle should just sit and rest. Whatā€™s the big deal … maybe we win maybe we donā€™t. Itā€™s just a quarter of one game.

So he reached in and what was quickly doing … he was shooting. It doesnā€™t make sense

Burks!!!

That’s exactly what I was talking about w/Quickley. Learn how to get that shot off this offseason.

Keep Payton on the bench…
Keep Payton on the bench…
Keep Payton on the bench…

As they grind to try to tie this game, the good thing is they don’t need to do anything special on D.

The Honorable Cock Jowles:
This team is a piece or six away from contention

I think you could add both these teams together and it still wouldn’t be a contender haha. This quarter has been immensely fun though.

Taj limping a bit. Great game from him. Someone called it early. Total Pro.

Maaaaan I’m glad I tuned in tonight!

Yeah it’s the Wiz, but the fact they clawed back after an abysmal 3 quarters says alot.

d-mar:
Unless Westbrook gets hurt we have a good chance to win this game

I hate to quote myself, but….

KB Apprentice:
Taj limping a bit. Great game from him. Someone called it early. Total Pro.

You wish he was like 6-7 years younger. But yeah the man just knows how to play.

The Infamous Cdiggy:
Maaaaan Iā€™m glad I tuned in tonight!

Yeah itā€™s the Wiz, but the fact they clawed back after an abysmal 3 quarters says alot.

Yeah, impressive. In the middle of the 3rd quarter i thought we had no chance.

Burks, IQ and Rj with a sensational fourth quarter…
Julius with two clutch baskets on one leg and Taj played the entire quarter (is Mitch injured?)…
I hope once Rose is back Thibs will never play Payton again…

The Wizards choked like dogs but the simple fact that they believe after those three quarters and never gave up is unbelievable…

Very glad I turned the game off in the second quarter and then back on with like 7 minutes to go. I know it’s only the Wizards but that’s a real nice comeback.

Whoever that G. Matthews is that was a really tough 3 he hit over IQ at the end there

And for the FT shooting struggles, Quickley, Burks and RJB hit em when they absolutely needed to.

RJ’s line is 24-10-5. You’d never know how badly he sucked in the first half.

DRed:
Whoever that G. Matthews is that was a really tough 3 he hit over IQ at the end there

Yeah. Great game from him. Did he even play Tues? Haha

Obi, 0-0 for 0 points. But 2 steals, 1 block, an assist and a rebound. He’s coming around…

Raven:
Obi, 0-0 for 0 points. But 2 steals, 1 block, an assist and a rebound. Heā€™s coming aroundā€¦

Now do Frank’s stats…

I know itā€™s not a popular thing to say,
but after watching two full games of Beal (that I like nonetheless) I feel better that we didnā€™t empty the farm for him…

Did I already mention that I donā€™t wanna see Payton again?

So someone asked about no Mitch in the 4th. Call me crazy, but I don’t think the guards who led the comeback would’ve had the same looks and spacing b/c Taj knows how to set picks while Mitch slips em.

What the hell happened?

They were playing so poorly I shut the game off and watched Battle Bots. I turned on the post game show and they won. lmao

The Infamous Cdiggy:
So someone asked about no Mitch in the 4th. Call me crazy, but I donā€™t think the guards who led the comeback wouldā€™ve had the same looks and spacing b/c Taj knows how to set picks while Mitch slips em.

Great point

The Infamous Cdiggy:
So someone asked about no Mitch in the 4th. Call me crazy, but I donā€™t think the guards who led the comeback wouldā€™ve had the same looks and spacing b/c Taj knows how to set picks while Mitch slips em.

Good point…
My question was only ā€œinjury relatedā€, Iā€™m perfectly fine with the lineup in the fourth, it would have been a big mistake to change something that was working so well.
I feared a Paytonā€™s return but luckily Thibs hear my prayers…

Did I already mention that I donā€™t wanna see Payton again?

Maybe you lose bench punch by starting either Burks and/or Quickley while Rose is out. But you can’t have Frank + Payton in the starting lineup w/RJ.

I had a four hour fantasy draft, so I missed all but the end. Good timing! Sorry about the lack of thread. I’ll get a recap up as soon as the Post puts it up so we can get a new thread.

The Infamous Cdiggy:
So someone asked about no Mitch in the 4th. Call me crazy, but I donā€™t think the guards who led the comeback wouldā€™ve had the same looks and spacing b/c Taj knows how to set picks while Mitch slips em.

Yeah, Mitch has got to get a lot better at setting screens. I think he’s always thinking of rolling to go for the dunk, and leaves his spot way too early.

Burks is super-impressive…consistent, clutch…what else could you want from a $6million guy on a 1-year deal? RJ had a very good redemption quarter, but for me, Burks was the star of the game…those two 3’s sent us on our way.

Something seems wrong with Mitch…he doesn’t seem to getting the elevation he did last year.

Burks started the season on fire,
got injured, came back slowly, went in a slump and now in the last five games he has been on fire.
All in all a good return for a small investment.

Iā€™m all for the Bu-Bu Gang to be back next year (we missed Bullock tonight), theyā€™ll be useful for a super-bench unit if weā€™re able to get a starting PG and a starting wing.

Brian Cronin:
I had a four hour fantasy draft, so I missed all but the end. Good timing! Sorry about the lack of thread. Iā€™ll get a recap up as soon as the Post puts it up so we can get a new thread.

Good luck! Share your roster! I had mine on this past Saturday.

cybersoze: Yeah, Mitch has got to get a lot better at setting screens. I think heā€™s always thinking of rolling to go for the dunk, and leaves his spot way too early.

Since I’m on a roll, I’ll keep chucking the dice here:

I saw glimpses of an offense where the guards drive most of the action instead and we don’t live or die w/Randle performance. Now we all know we don’t quitehave the optimal personnel for this yet. But seeing guys who – for at least one game – provided a facsimile of this wrinkle gives me hope for how things can look when we improve upon some of our wings and have bigs who can do what Taj does but with more athleticism:

– Taj setting good picks and playing solid fundamental big-man basketball. Hopefully Mitch can learn to do this consistently (or maybe Obi????)
– Burks making open pull-up FT range Js off either a pick or paint drive. Like I said upthread, that’s the next level for Quickley. Maybe RJB too – learn to pull-up, defenders have to respect the midrange, and maybe that gives him that much more daylight when he takes it to the hole.

This would give them another level of complexity that would allow for more offensive firepower.

Clutch Dame won us a game in Miami,
our next home game with the Heat will be really important.

ā€“ Taj setting good picks and playing solid fundamental big-man basketball. Hopefully Mitch can learn to do this consistently (or maybe Obi????)

For all of Obi’s many, many, many flaws so far as a player, he seems very focused on setting picks for the guards (sometimes to the detriment of doing anything else on offense). But if he can soak up some other tricks from Taj, it’d at least be something.

Hey E, Thibs played Quickley the entire 4th…thoughts? (Let me guess…if he started IQ we wouldn’t have been losing in the first place…)

Obi’s D and rebounding were okay…maybe he will build from there out…sure hope so!

Z-man:
Obiā€™s D and rebounding were okayā€¦maybe he will build from there outā€¦sure hope so!

I wonder if he’s kind of reinventing himself on the fly – like he knows he won’t eat in the NBA like he did in college so he’s struggling as he learns to be a modern-day NBA big.

Finally ā€” so very glad we didnā€™t make a mess today at the trading deadline. I do hope we keep nurturing our own young players.

I know itā€™s crazy, but Iā€™d rather have our guys right now than Brooklynā€™s, for example. And Iā€™ll still feel that way if/when the Nets parade through Prospect Park with the trophy.

Iā€™m just trying to figure out what Obi can do on offense. He throws up air balls or bricks from 3, and his post up game is plodding and predictable.

So what is he good at?

I know itā€™s crazy, but Iā€™d rather have our guys right now than Brooklynā€™s, for example. And Iā€™ll still feel that way if/when the Nets parade through Prospect Park with the trophy.

So long as you know it’s crazy.

Before the game, Thibodeau was asked about Eastern playoff contenders, Miami, Chicago, Boston and Miami making big trade-deadline upgrades while his team did nothing to speak of.

ā€œI love our team,ā€™ā€™ Thibodeau said. ā€œYouā€™re watching what others are doing. Thatā€™s your job. We did what was best for us. Thatā€™s what we concern ourselves with.ā€™ā€™

I am totally agnostic about the Knicks in 2021. Nothing emotional rooted in them at all.

All I have to say is that July 1st and March 25th have been very important days in the Rose regime. I thought heā€™d be more-of-the-same, but the last 9 months have been anything but Knicksy.

For the first time ever, I may actually agree with Ephus c. 2013: ā€œthis is a good time to be a Knicks fanā€.

Not that I care. I am agnostic. But for those of you that do care, you seem to be in good hands. (What?!)

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