The Knicks will get a meeting with Bruce Brown early in free agency, per SNY sources.
Brown is also expected to meet with the Pacers, Rockets, Mavericks and Lakers early on in the free agency period, per sources.
As noted previously, Brown has fans within the Knicks organization. The Knicks also have wing Donte DiVincenzo high on their radar entering free agency.
I won’t claim to know if Knicks team president Leon Rose prioritizes Brown over DiVincenzo. But Brown is widely seen as a player teams will prioritize at the start of free agency.
It’s worth noting that the Knicks, Mavericks and Lakers do not have cap space available. The Rockets and Pacers both have available cap space, so they can make Brown offers that exceed anything the Knicks, Mavericks or Lakers can put on the table for Brown. (Brown, also, could decide to re-sign with the Nuggets; he helped them win the NBA title a few weeks ago.)
I assume the Knicks will also meet with DiVincenzo early in the period. But there are multiple teams, including Minnesota, Chicago and Detroit, with interest in DiVincenzo. So it’s fair to assume that DiVincenzo will meet with multiple teams during the free agency period.
New York is expected to have access to the non-taxpayer midlevel exception in free agency. This would allow them to offer Brown, DiVincenzo or any other free agent a contract that starts at $12.4 million and is as long as four years.
By using the exception, the Knicks would be hard-capped at the first apron, which is projected to be $172 million.
But Josh Hart’s decision to exercise the $13 million player option on his contract for 2023-24 gives the Knicks more room to spend money before they hit the first apron. If New York wants to avoid paying any luxury tax in 2023-24 while also using its full midlevel exception, the Knicks will have to shed salary.
They also may have to create room in the rotation if they add a free agent like Brown or DiVincenzo.
Tom Thibodeau’s club had great success last season playing a nine-man rotation. All nine of those players are under contract for next season. So if the Knicks want to stick with a nine-man rotation, they would have to create room by trading or waiving a current rotation player.
Evan Fournier said after the 2022-23 season that he expected to be traded. Fournier would bring strong perimeter shooting and a veteran presence to any team that acquires him. Fournier’s expiring contract is also seen as a valuable trade chip for teams looking to shed salary amid the new more punitive collective bargaining agreement.
Perhaps the Knicks include Fournier in a trade with one of their rotation players to create a rotation spot, if needed.
The other question for this offseason is if the Knicks will trade for a top player. They have the young players and draft capital to make a strong offer to any team looking to move a top player. New York can trade as many as eight first-round picks in a trade this offseason.
Could they pursue James Harden?
As of Thursday evening, the Clippers’ interest in Harden – as first reported by SNY – was more significant than the Knicks’ interest. ESPN reported earlier Thursday that the Knicks would be among the teams interested in Harden. Sources said subsequently that New York’s interest in Harden was far from uniform throughout the organization. I still believe that the Clippers are the lead suitor for Harden at the moment.
The only way a deal makes sense from a Knick perspective is if Philadelphia is willing to move Harden for a minimal return. The Sixers presumably will seek a return that allows them to compete for a championship alongside Joel Embiid.
If the Knicks opt against making a big trade this offseason and return with the 2022-23 roster largely intact, there will be pressure for the club to improve on its 47-win total from last season.
This would also push the Knicks’ big trade off to the next trade deadline or free agency. And it would probably upset fans who were hoping for a splashy move this summer.
Who would the Knicks pursue next season if they don’t make a big move this offseason? That’s unclear.
But it’s worth noting here that several teams are keeping an eye on the situation in Milwaukee concerning the future of Giannis Antetokounmpo, as we’ve previously noted. Antetkounmpo is eligible for an extension with Milwaukee this summer. Financially, it makes sense for Antetokounmpo to wait on signing an extension or new contract. I don’t know if the Knicks are one of those teams keeping an eye on the Antetokounmpo situation, but I’d imagine most teams are monitoring it.
A few other notes:
The Nets have spoken to a multiple teams about potential trades involving Joe Harris. The club hopes to retain restricted free agent Cam Johson this offseason. Johnson can sign an offer sheet with another team, but the Nets will have the opportunity to match the offer and bring Johnson back. As previously noted, those tracking Johnson’s free agency believed prior to the draft that Brooklyn was comfortable giving Johnson a four-year deal worth north of $84 million.
As ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes in his fantastic offseason breakdown, the Nets may incur costly tax penalties if they re-sign Johnson on a significant contract. So the club would need to shed some salary to avoid those penalties. Harris, a strong perimeter shooter and solid defender, is under contract for $19.9 million in 2023-24.
Also, Spencer Dinwiddie is eligible for an extension later this offseason. Per people familiar with the matter, there is support within the Nets to add years onto Dinwiddie’s deal via an extension.