Yaron Weitzman
FOX Sports activities NBA Author
Nicely, that escalated rapidly.
We have got bundles of picks being thrown round, crosstown rivals (“rivals”?) making offers and, in some way but once more, new Kevin Durant commerce rumors popping up. What does all of it imply? We can’t know till after the beginning of free company Sunday night time, after we see how all the pieces performs out. However that does not imply we will not toss out some ideas within the meantime.
However first, let’s lay out the small print of the offers between the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and the Houston Rockets, all by way of ESPN:
- The Knicks get Mikal Bridges and a 2026 second spherical decide from the Nets.
- The Rockets are getting a 2025 Phoenix Suns decide swap, a 2027 Suns first spherical decide and a Nets 2029 decide swap.
- The Nets are getting 4 unprotected first spherical picks (2025, 2027, 2029, 2031) from the Knicks; a 2025 protected Milwaukee Bucks first spherical decide whose rights the Knicks owned; a 2028 unprotected decide swap from the Knicks; a 2025 second-round decide from the Knicks and Bojan Bogdanovic, who’s within the deal for wage matching functions. The Nets are additionally getting again their 2025 and 2026 first spherical picks from Houston (which they dealt away within the 2021 James Harden commerce). So in whole they added seven first spherical picks (two of which have been beforehand their very own), plus a decide swap.
Now let’s break all of it down.
Why are the Nets doing this deal?
That is the straightforward stuff to investigate. The Nets, a staff caught within the center, have been capable of get a “Godfather” provide for a participant who now not wished to be part of their group. Bridges was sad in Brooklyn most of final season. He didn’t like enjoying for now former-head coach Jacque Vaughn, a sense that contributed to Vaughn’s midseason firing. And it definitely did not assist issues that he had three former Villanova teammates enjoying collectively and thriving crosstown — and, within the case of Josh Hart particularly, always trolling Bridges about how far more enjoyable it was to play for the Knicks.
The Nets can now embark on a real rebuild, and, with their first spherical picks again beneath their very own management, they’ll tank and check out grabbing Cooper Flag or one other prime prospect within the highly-acclaimed 2025 draft.
Additionally, we now have the total return from their Kevin Durant commerce. Not dangerous, contemplating the circumstances:
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Why are the Rockets doing this?
That is additionally fairly easy. The Rockets need to make a leap — bear in mind, this can be a staff being coached by Ime Udoka — they usually can scent blood within the water (or, extra exactly, within the desert).
This report was walked again a bit a couple of minutes later, and the Suns are already placing it on the market that they don’t have any intention of dealing Durant or any of their stars earlier than the season. However the Rockets are betting that the Suns change their tune as soon as the season begins. And if Phoenix does elect to hit the reset button, no staff will probably be higher positioned to pounce.
It is not simply that the Rockets now personal among the Suns’ first spherical picks. It is also that they’ve a roster loaded with proficient younger gamers, any of whom may be packaged with these picks for Durant. Sooner or later, the Rockets are going to have to decide on between these prospects; there’s simply no strategy to pay Jalen Inexperienced and Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson, nevermind the 2 lottery picks they’ve on this week’s draft. Focusing on a star beneath the age of 30 may be a safer path. However that is not how the Tilman Fertitta-Rafael Stone-led Rockets function.
Why are the Knicks doing this?
Now we get to probably the most attention-grabbing a part of this sequence of offers, as a result of the Knicks deciding to money in all of the chips they have been gathering for Mikal Bridges is fascinating. For one, the Villanova angle is nice, and this staff goes to steer the league in vibes:
The query is, what occurs now? As a result of the Knicks have some robust choices to make over the subsequent few days.
Most individuals across the league assume the Knicks nonetheless plan on re-signing OG Anunoby. So the place will they make up the wage area? It seems to be like Isaiah Hartenstein may find yourself being a casualty of the Knicks’ deal with high quality wings.
Hartenstein can be a tricky loss for the Knicks, but it surely’s price it for the improve to Bridges. A wing pairing of him and Anunoby can be deadly on protection, and provides the Knicks all kinds of versatility round Jalen Brunson. They’d be over-reliant on Mitchell Robinson within the center, however their size on the perimeter would make up for it. Julius Randle would possibly battle a bit discovering his means round this group, however a core rotation of Brunson, Bridges, Randle, Anunoby, Hart, DiVincenzo and Robinson simply may be sufficient to present the defending champion Boston Celtics a run.
Yaron Weitzman is an NBA author for FOX Sports activities and the writer of Tanking to the Prime: The Philadelphia 76ers and the Most Audacious Course of within the Historical past of Skilled Sports activities. Comply with him on Twitter @YaronWeitzman.
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