According to Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Keith Pompey, the Philadelphia 76ers may lose general manager Elton Brand in the off-season. That is if Leon Rose will have his way.
Pompey is reporting that the New York Knicks are very interested in hiring him. Brand is Rose’s top target to become the team’s GM.
Elton Brand looks on prior to the game against the Chicago Bulls (Getty Images)
Presently, Scott Perry is serving as the team’s GM. However, according to Newsday, he is not expected to return past this season.
While the Knicks are interested in him, it is not a lock that he will leave the 76ers. He is under contract beyond this season.
Plus, the 76ers are reportedly very happy with his performance since taking over as the GM. Depending on how this season goes, it may be a factor in how things play out in the off-season.
The 76ers are one of the favorites to win the Eastern Conference after they signed Al Horford in the off-season. However, since the season stopped on March 11th, they are not even in the top half of the Eastern Conference standings.
Right now, the team has a 39-26 record. They have the same record as the Indiana Pacers, but they are in fifth place in the standings.
Philadelphia is in the sixth position. Both teams are 14 games behind the East-leading Milwaukee Bucks, who are 53-12.
Sixers general manger Elton Brand is reportedly a candidate for the #New York #Knicks GM job. However, a Sixers team source noted that Brand is under contract with Philly past this season. The source added the team is very happy with the work he's done as Philly's GM.
Published on Tuesday, February 4, 2020 at 1:38 PM EST
The New York Knicks have fired President of Basketball Operations Steve Mills on Tuesday. The move comes two days before the league-wide NBA trade deadline.
With Mills gone, the Knicks are promoting Scott Perry to run their Basketball Operations for the time being. Perry was the team’s GM under Mills.
Steve Mills speaks at the unveiling of the Knicks jersey sponsorship press conference with Squarespace (Getty Images)
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Knicks are targeting Toronto Raptors President of Basketball Operations Masai Ujiri. However, his contract is in the way of making that deal work.
He is presently signed through the 2020-21 season. And, according to Wojnarowski, the Knicks are refusing to give up draft compensation to make a deal work.
The NBA Insider has already reporting that the Knicks have already interviewed a candidate to replace Mills. But Ujiri is the Knicks owner James Dolan’s top target.
Mills departure may have been in part due to their inability to recruit a top-level star to New York this past summer. And the team’s horrendous start to begin the season.
The Knicks have a 15-36 record during the 2019-20 season. Only two teams have worse records than New York in the entire Eastern Conference.
Those two teams are the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Atlanta Hawks. Both teams have 13-38 records.
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Morris signs with the Knicks after Reggie Bullock accepted a shorter deal than previously agreed upon. He signed a two-year deal worth less then $4.7 million.
Marcus Morris reacts after a play against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2018 NBA Playoffs (Getty Images)
In addition, Morris ghosted the San Antonio Spurs, who he initially agreed to a deal with. However, once Bullock’s news came down that they were looking to re-work his deal due to a health issue, Morris became New York’s main focus.
Bullock initially agreed to a two-year, $21 million deal with the Knicks. Now, he’ll make more then $4 million next season, according to Spotrac.
The second year of his contract is not guaranteed. If it is structured like the other two-year deals that the team signed this off-season, it’ll be a team option.
The Spurs only had limited money they could offer to Morris. Instead, the Knicks had more money to offer once they re-worked Bullock’s deal.
Morris reportedly turned down a three-year, $41 million deal from the Los Angeles Clippers. He fired his agent this weekend before signing with the Knicks on Tuesday.
The 29-year-old Philadelphia, Pennsylvania native will be joining his fifth NBA team. Besides spending the last two seasons with the Boston Celtics, he also played for the Phoenix Suns, Detroit Pistons, and the Houston Rockets.
This past season, Morris appeared in 75 games, including 53 games. He averaged 13.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.3 blocks in 27.9 minutes per game.
The past two seasons with Boston, he averaged 26-28 minutes per game. In his two seasons with the Pistons, he averaged more than 30 minutes per game.
In his pro career, he has appeared in 545 games, including 292 starts. He averaged 11.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.3 blocks in 26.5 minutes per game.
Published on Monday, July 1st, 2019 at 12:14 PM EST
The New York Knicks fans had faith for months that they were going to be getting one of the marquee free agents on the market. However, they were sold a pipe dream that did not work out.
When Kristaps Porziņģis was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in February, the Knicks fans were told they were going to get either Kevin Durant and potentially Kyrie Irving. Instead, those two marquee free agents will be playing in the Knicks backyard at least for the next four years.
Long-time New York Knicks season-ticker holder Spike Lee talks to the crowd during halftime of the 2019 NBA All-Star Game (Getty Images)
The Brooklyn Nets — who are approx. 44 minutes away via train — signed both of those players. In addition, they also signed DeAndre Jordan, who according to multiple sources is Durant’s best friend, to a four-year deal, as well.
According to the sources, these three players at one point considered signing with the Knicks. The same sources also indicated to The Capital Sports Report that Jordan was not happy with the Knicks after the February trade when the team elected to play younger players.
The deal happened on Jan. 31, 2019 when Porziņģis was sent to the Mavericks, along with Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Courtney Lee. In exchange, the Knicks received Jordan, Wesley Matthews, Dennis Smith Jr., a 2021 first-round draft pick and a 2023 first-round draft pick that is Top-10 protected.
This cleared more than $70 million in cap space to sign free agents. However, in the first day of free agency, Knicks fans have been in misery since they failed to get a big name.
There is only one marquee free agent left in Kawhi Leonard — and he is not expected to land in New York, either.
“While we understand that some Knicks fans could be disappointed with tonight’s news, we continue to be upbeat and confident in our plans to rebuild the Knicks to compete for championships in the future, through both the draft and targeted free agents,” the Knicks said in a statement on Sunday night.
The Knicks will have to see Irving at least for the next four years in a Nets jersey. Durant is a different story, as he is not expected to play in the 2019-20 season after suffering a torn Achilles in Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors.
That summer, like this summer, New York had the most money to spend in free agency. They had $34.1 million to spend, while the New Jersey Nets had $29.9 million and the Miami Heat had $27.5 million.
Despite the Heat having $27.5 million, they were able to convince James to sign with the team. And they were able to convince Bosh to join the super team after a sign-and-trade with the Raptors — all while also re-signing Wade.
Stoudemire played four plus seasons with the Knicks. After a good first season in 2010-11, then things fell apart after that as he battled injuries in 2012-13 and 2013-14. Then, he had a bench role in 2014-15, before being released in February 2015.
While these are the not the players that Knicks fans wanted, they will be stuck with these players for the foreseeable future. Those players are Julius Randle, Taj Gibson, Bobby Ports, and Wayne Ellington.
For most of the Knicks fans, the team hasn’t been good for at least the last 20-years. While every opponent wants to have their best game at the Mecca at Madison Square Garden, nobody seems to want to go there to change their fortunes.
These fans will have to hope one day James Dolan will sell the team — and maybe, just maybe — that will lead these marquee free agents to sign with the Knicks.
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The New York Knicks were glad that R. J. Barrett fell to them at the No. 3 pick. The Knicks used their pick to draft the Canadian.
Barrett gives the Knicks a nice young piece, as they rebuild for the future. He’ll be partnered with Dennis Smith Jr., who was acquired by New York in February.
R.J. Barrett poses with the NBA Commissioner Adam Silver after being drafted at the 2019 NBA Draft (Getty Images)
They will also be partnered with Frank Ntilikina if he is not traded. He struggled last season, which led to the trade talks.
Since 1969, Zion Williamson — who was the No. 1 overall pick by the New Orleans Pelicans — and Barrett became the sixth pairing of teammates to go in the top three. Former Kansas teammates Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid were the last to accomplish this in 2014.
They
also join former Kentucky players Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist in
2012. Former Connecticut players Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon went in the top
three in 2004.
Also,
former Duke players Jay Williams and Mike Dunleavy Jr. went in the top 3 in
2002. Former UCLA players Lew Alcindor and Lucius Allen went in the top 3 in
1969.
Barrett comes to a team that finished with a 17-65 record. They were 15th overall in the NBA Eastern Conference.
The
Knicks averaged 104.6 points per game. However, their defense allowed 113.8
points per game.
New York
had 30 different lineups in 2018-19. After Tim Hardaway Jr. was traded to the
Dallas Mavericks, the Knicks played Kevin Knox out of position as the three
with Luke Kornet at the 4.
With this selection, he should step in and be the three in the starting lineup from the beginning. This, of course, is if they cannot acquire Kawhi Leonard or Kevin Durant in free agency.
Barrett
is presently the second Duke player on the Knicks roster. Lance Thomas is the
other.
The Mississauga, Canada native — who went to Monteverde Academy in Florida — made 38 appearances, including 38 starts with the Blue Devils. He averaged 22.6 points per game, along with 7.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.4 blocks in 35.3 minutes per game.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include a statement from Madison Square Garden Company.
By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
According to Bill Simmons’ latest podcast, New York Knicks owner James Dolan is ‘courting offers’ to sell the franchise. The Knicks fans have been wanting Dolan to sell for a long-time.
Dolan has reportedly been trying to sell the team for months.
James Dolan answers questions during a press conference to introduce Phil Jackson as the President of Basketball Operations (Getty Images)
“Multiple people told me this, who know things, James Dolan is courting offers for the Knicks,” Simmons said in his ‘The Bill Simmons Podcast.’ “It’s happening. It’s on. It’s go-time. He’s courting offers for the Knicks. That’s what I heard at All-Star weekend from people I trust.”
The 63-year-old is the Executive Chairman and CEO of The Madison Square Garden Company. He also serves as the Executive Chairman of MSG Networks.
He oversees all operations of the company, including its sports teams, which also includes the New York Rangers and the New York Liberty. Dolan also oversees MSG Network and MSG Plus.
“The Knicks are just a pain in the a–, people s–t on him for it,” Simmons said in the podcast. “He feels if he can just sell the Knicks for some crazy price, then he can put the money into that music/in-game experience stuff that he cares about. So, the Knicks are available.”
The Knicks are presently the 15th team in the Eastern Conference. They have the worst record in the Eastern Conference with an 11-47 record.
They are 32.5 games behind the Milwaukee Bucks, who are 43-14 through the All-Star break.
The only team with a worse record at the All-Star break in the Association is the Phoenix Suns. The team — who had the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft — has an 11-48 record.
New York has not made the playoffs in six years, as the odds of the team making the playoffs this season are slim to none. Their last playoff appearance was during the 2012-13 season when the team reached the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Update: The Madison Square Garden Company has released the following statement regarding Simmons’ comments.
“The story is 100% false. There has been nothing. No discussions. No plans to have discussions — nothing.”
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A rival NBA executive reportedly informed Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck that the New York Knicks believe they can land Kevin Durant this off-season. On Thursday, the Knicks made a blockbuster deal by trading away Kristaps Porziņģis to the Dallas Mavericks.
In the move, the Knicks have cleared up to $75 million in cap space this off-season. That will allow the team to sign two max players this summer if they choose to do so.
Kevin Durant dunks the ball against the Washington Wizards (Getty Images)
“It means they’re pretty sure they’re getting KD,” one anonymous executive said to Beck.
The Knicks have been speculated to be a landing spot for Durant if he opts out of his contract this summer with the Golden State Warriors. Once he opts out, he’ll be an unrestricted free agent.
Porziņģis — who is still rehabbing from a torn ACL injury that happened during the 2017-18 season — was traded along with Courtney Lee, Tim Hardaway Jr., and cap-filler Trey Burke. In exchange, the Knicks acquired Dennis Smith Jr., along with two expiring contracts in DeAndre Jordan and Wesley Matthews.
New York basically traded their best player for cap space.
“It’s never happened,” the executive said to Beck. “Teams have given up unprotected picks. But no one’s ever traded an established star, an established commodity, just to clear money.”
Hours after telling the New York Knicks management he wanted to be traded, Disgruntled Kristaps Porziņģis has gotten his wish. He has been traded to the Dallas Mavericks.
Porziņģis was traded to the Mavericks on Thursday. Dallas is also receiving Tim Hardaway Jr. and Courtney Lee.
Kristaps Porziņģis reacts after missing a shot against the Boston Celtics (Getty Images)
The Knicks are receiving Dennis Smith Jr., a former lottery pick, who Dallas was trying to deal with the success of Luka Dončić. They also acquire expiring contracts in Wesley Matthews and DeAndre Jordan.
New York is also receiving a future first-round draft pick in this deal.
With this deal, the Knicks now have the capability to have room for two max contracts this summer. Before Thursday started, New York did not even have the room to sign one Max player.
The 23-year-old Liepaja, Latvia native has not played in a single game this season. He is nursing a torn ACL injury that he suffered during the 2017-18 season.
Porziņģis — who was the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft —played in 48 games before suffering the season-ending torn ACL injury. He averaged a career-high 22.7 points with 6.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.8 steals, and 2.4 blocks per game in 2017-18.
The 33-year-old Lee will join his eighth NBA team in his career. He has had 12 appearances with two starts for the Knicks this season.
He is averaging 4.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game this season.
The New York Knicks have looked back this season. On Saturday, the team lost its 28th game of the season.
They were defeated 129-97 by the Utah Jazz. With the loss, the team fell to 9-28 on the season.
Enes Kanter reacts to a call against the Dallas Mavericks (Getty Images)
The Knicks do not play again until January 1st against the Denver Nuggets. The team also plays again on January 4th against the Los Angeles Lakers.
New York also has a road game against the Portland Trail Blazers on January 7th. And a game on January 8th against the Golden State Warriors.
Enes Kanter may not be with the team when their road trip ends. According to sources, the Knicks are expected to deal the power forward soon.
A deal is expected to happen within the next week. The 26-year-old Zurich, Switzerland native would be traded for the third-time in his career. He was traded by the Jazz to the Thunder in a three-team deal on February 19th, 2015.
Kanter was traded to the Thunder, along with Steve Novak, D.J. Augustin, Kyle Singler, and a 2019 second-round draft pick. The Jazz acquired Kendrick Perkins, Grant Jerrett, the draft rights to Tibor Pleiß, 2017 protected first-round pick from Oklahoma City, and a 2017 second-round draft pick from Detroit went to the Jazz. The Pistons acquired Reggie Jackson in the deal.
He was then traded to the Knicks on September 25th, 2017 by the Thunder. He was moved, along with Doug McDermott and a 2018 second-round draft pick, to New York for Carmelo Anthony.
He is in the final-year of his contract. He is making $18.6 million this season.
The Sacramento Kings are expected to be in the mix to acquire Kanter.
This offseason review will be the New York Knicks. If you have interest in other offseason reviews as they come out, click on my author name at the bottom of this page to be directed to my archived articles. I previously did one about the Brooklyn Nets, so I’ll just jump to the other New York team.
It’s worth mentioning to start that the Knicks are coming off another slow season where they weren’t really close to the playoffs, and they’ve had a few bad offseason signings in recent years which have largely eliminated their flexibility. Most of the team returns from last year. In fact, after Kevin Knox was drafted, the Knicks had no cap space at all, and could only use the mid-level exception and minimum contracts to fill their roster. They can still make trades, of course, but haven’t made any of note yet.
Kristaps Porziņģis grabs a rebound against the San Antonio Spurs (Getty Images)
Here’s their current roster with the salaries in millions:
PG- Frank Ntilikina (4.2); Emmanuel Mudiay (4.3); Ron Baker (4.5); Kadeem Allen (1.3)*
SG- Kevin Knox (3.7); Courtney Lee (12.3); Trey Burke (1.8)*
SF- Tim Hardaway Jr. (17.3); Mario Hezonja (6.5); Damyean Dotson (1.4)
PF- Kristaps Porzingis (5.7); Noah Vonleh (1.8); Lance Thomas (7.1); Luke Kornet (1.6)
The Knicks currently have 17 players on their roster with around 112 million locked up. They’re clearly over the cap, but have about 10 million before the luxury tax kicks in. They’ll have to use camp to make some of these final cuts, perhaps just eating Ron Baker’s salary (he’s just not an NBA player), or Lance Thomas’s (he only has 1 million guaranteed next year and serves no purpose, especially for 7.1 million). They could also downsize by just waiving players like Allen, Vonleh, or Kornet if those experiments fail, or even waive and stretch Joakim Noah’s contract over three seasons to gain the roster spot.
None of the mentioned players really fit into the rotation, so it will be mostly about filling out the back end of the roster in the smartest way. Trey Burke’s contract remains unguaranteed, but should be accepted by the team after a really solid 2017-18 season. Their only remaining cap hold is for Jarrett Jack, who they could use Non-Bird rights to bring back if they want an extra Point Guard, and at 125% of what he made last year, he would still allow the team to stay below the tax.
The following players are additions:
G/F- Kevin Knox (draft, 1st round)
F- Mario Hezonja (free agent signing from Orlando)
G- Kadeem Allen (free agent signing from Boston)
F/C- Noah Vonleh (free agent signing from Chicago)
C- Mitchell Robinson (draft, 2nd round)
F/C- Luke Kornet (converted two-way contract)
The following players are departures from last year:
F- Michael Beasley (free agent, signed with LA Lakers)
F/C- Kyle O’Quinn (free agent, signed with Indiana)
G- Jarrett Jack (still available)
G/F- Troy Williams (free agent, signed with New Orleans)
As they head into next year, they face unrestricted free agency for Hezonja, Vonleh, Burke, and also for Enes Kanter, and face restricted free agency on Kristaps Porzingis and Emmanuel Mudiay. Two of their most expensive contracts, Joakim Noah and Courtney Lee, each have two years remaining instead of being expiring deals, although Lee could still have some value as a trade asset, potentially.
They retain draft rights on a 2017 second round pick, G- Ognjen Jaramaz from Serbia. They also have their own 2019 first round pick and one 2019 second round pick, which will end up being the worst of Orlando, Cleveland, and Houston due to pick swapping deals from the past.
Their offseason deals have been somewhat limited.
Draft:
First Round: G/F- Kevin Knox, 9th overall, from Kentucky
Second Round: C- Mitchell Robinson, 36th overall, no college experience
The Knicks converted a two-way player from last year in Luke Kornet into a minimum contract. They also were forced to keep Ron Baker after he opted into his player option, as did Enes Kanter, while Kyle O’Quinn opted out. They did also pick up guard Kadeem Allen from Boston to compete in camp for a roster spot after waiving Troy Williams.
Their free agent signings are as follows:
They signed Noah Vonleh for the minimum, which is a nice upside pick up to try to compete for frontcourt minutes, and they used a majority of their mid-level exception on a one year deal for Mario Hezonja. Vonleh has attempted to expand his range beyond the three-point line and adapt his game to the modern NBA, with mixed success. He remains a huge work in progress, but can be a decent rebounder. He also has the athleticism to really be a plus defender, so I like this signing for the Knicks in trying to garner some high-upside talent for cheap. He is only a few years removed from being a high lottery pick.
The same goes for Hezonja, who was taken 5th overall back in 2015. He’s only an average shooter, but is an intelligent player, picking his spots offensively and being a decent passer. His averages of 10 points, 4 rebounds, an assist and a steal in reserve minutes last year weren’t bad, and he had a way better second half of the season than first when he had more of a chance to play. He’s also a sneaky good defensive player who can guard multiple positions. I could see him quickly becoming one of the Knicks’ better players and warranting a larger contract next offseason.
I still have real hope that Hezonja can become a legitimate starter in the NBA, and Vonleh offers similar upside as a potential rotation piece. Blending them with high second-round pick Mitchell Robinson, who likely fell in the draft due to his peculiar decision to not play college ball offers a triad of potentially good frontcourt players to join Porzingis.
They call Porzingis the unicorn, so let’s get to the unicorn in the room. There’s a real possibility that Porzingis will not be a Knick long term. This is a team that is mired in a rebuild, but seems several years away from being really competitive, and I’m just not certain that the Knicks would match a max offer sheet for him next summer. Porzingis, if he makes an all NBA team this year, could have a contract that would start around $32 million per year, and even if he doesn’t, could be looking at a $27 million per year deal due to the 5th year/30% max criteria for a designated player extension.
Would the Knicks pay that for KP? His future remains a major question, which helps explain why the Knicks went out and got these high-upside players. They’re trying to shortcut the rebuilding process to see what they have.
By all accounts (and also by summer league performance), Kevin Knox seems to be a hit, but there’s not much else which is concrete to point to in this team’s future. Ntilikina and Mudiay are both raw point guard prospects, with Mudiay heading into a contract year. They overpaid horrifically for Tim Hardaway Jr., Joakim Noah, Lance Thomas, and Ron Baker, although the Baker and Thomas contracts will be largely off the books next year. They also got nothing from Dotson last year as a supplemental first-round pick.
I just wonder how the future of this team plays out and whether Porzingis will be the focal piece. Their best trade asset is probably Kanter’s expiring contract, and we’ll see if they can use him at the trade deadline, but that 18.6 million is pretty tough to reconcile, even for a player who consistently gets a little better every year. The Knicks have a ton of outstanding questions, and their time to figure it out is running out.
I still like the Hezonja and Vonleh signings for upside alone, and I think they drafted really well with Knox and Robinson. I also think that there are still some more major decisions and moves to make.
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