Knicks see window to play for NBA title and take a swing. Risk is worth it.
NEW YORK – The day before the first round of Wednesday’s NBA draft and just hours before the draft began, the New York Knicks dominated the league’s headlines.
On Tuesday, the Knicks acquired Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets, and the following day, they reached a five-year, $212 million deal with OG Anunoby, their own free agent, to remain with New York.
The opening of NBA free agency is Sunday, and the Knicks’ front office, led by former player-agent Leon Rose, sent a message: the Knicks are going for it. They see a window to play for an NBA championship, and they’re taking a big-league swing. That should be commended.
How will it work out? No one knows. That’s the beauty of it, the risk of it. Let’s see what happens. But look around at Adam Silver’s NBA. When Boston defeated Dallas for the title on June 17, it marked the sixth consecutive season with a different champion.
Championship windows open and shut quickly. The Knicks looked at their roster with Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle, Josh Hart, Mitchell Robinson, Donte DiVincenzo and decided that acquiring Bridges and retaining Anunoby at a high price, both financially and in assets given up, was worth trying to win the franchise’s first championship since 1973.
The Knicks haven’t played in the conference finals since 2000. What do they have to lose?
Without question, the Knicks gave up plenty (four unprotected first-round draft picks plus more). But NBA teams are learning it’s possible to get those draft picks back. It won’t happen overnight, and the rebuild may be painful and eat up seasons with losses.
And it’s fair to question whether the Knicks traded too much, whether too much money is invested in defenders who don’t create enough offense and whether a better deal existed. And we know from history that the best player on a championship team is usually not a 6-2 guard. That’s not a knock on Brunson, and it’s not ignoring Steph Curry either.
But giving your team and fans a realistic chance at a championship is worth it. The draft, one way or another, provides that hope.
Dallas made moves at the trade deadline, acquiring P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford, and the Mavericks reached the Finals. Look at Boston. After losing to Golden State in the 2022 Finals and falling to Miami in the 2023 Eastern Conference finals, Celtics team president Brad Stevens knew what he had wasn’t good enough. He traded for Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday.
With a title in their pocket, Boston is favored to win it all again next season. But too many variables, including injuries, exist. Nothing is guaranteed. The field is 6-0 against the defending champions since Golden State won back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018. If the field is 7-0 a year from now, no one will be surprised.
The Celtics are outstanding, likely would have beaten a healthy Knicks team in the conference finals and are set up roster-wise to contend for the next several seasons. Regardless, the Knicks realized they need more to beat the Celtics. They made changes.
Don’t sit around and wait. You have to get tomorrow or tomorrow gets you.