Trades and Transactions Thread - 2025 Cont'd

[Jeffrey]

Forget all this Giannis and Durant stuff for a minute. What moves can make to add depth without sacrificing our core?

Lets go with the current starters and bench:

Mitch
KAT
OG
Bridges
Brunson

6. Hart
7. Deuce
8. Kolek


This is my wishlist if we're not making major moves..

Vet minimum signings:

Brook Lopez - stretch 5
Bojan Bogdanovic - bucket getter off the bench; also has size we need
Marcus Morris - wish we had this year. He is still a 40% 3point shooter. Adds toughness we need as well
Alec Burks - is still a good defender at the 1-3 position. Still can give you 8-10 ppg.

Non-MLE Tax:

Ben Simmons - yeah I said it. He can be our secondary ball handler, he can guard from 1-4 and small ball 5s. He is still a a premier defender, a rebounder that is still 6'9 on the open court. He will not be playing crunch time. Coming off the bench and play 20-25 minutes would be best for him.

at least one of Bridges or Hart should get traded for a reliable shooter and willing defender, not just stricky and part time ones

We will need to extend Bridges because trading 5 FRPs for 2 years will not be a good look. If Hart has to go, then I will understand. Bridges has guarded one of the two best players every game, Bridges is still a good shooter.

If you trade Hart, a Ben Simmons will be a key signing. It basically replaces Hart but Ben Simmons cannot play crunch time players (arse in FTs).

[Besart19]

Lets go with the current starters and bench:

Mitch
KAT
OG
Bridges
Brunson

6. Hart
7. Deuce
8. Kolek


This is my wishlist if we're not making major moves..

Vet minimum signings:

Brook Lopez - stretch 5
Bojan Bogdanovic - bucket getter off the bench; also has size we need
Marcus Morris - wish we had this year. He is still a 40% 3point shooter. Adds toughness we need as well
Alec Burks - is still a good defender at the 1-3 position. Still can give you 8-10 ppg.

Non-MLE Tax:

Ben Simmons - yeah I said it. He can be our secondary ball handler, he can guard from 1-4 and small ball 5s. He is still a a premier defender, a rebounder that is still 6'9 on the open court. He will not be playing crunch time. Coming off the bench and play 20-25 minutes would be best for him.

at least one of Bridges or Hart should get traded for a reliable shooter and willing defender, not just stricky and part time ones

We will need to extend Bridges because trading 5 FRPs for 2 years will not be a good look. If Hart has to go, then I will understand. Bridges has guarded one of the two best players every game, Bridges is still a good shooter.

If you trade Hart, a Ben Simmons will be a key signing. It basically replaces Hart but Ben Simmons cannot play crunch time players (arse in FTs).

Hart and Mitch for Ayton or Hart and Achiuwa for DeRozan

Ayton / Hukporti
Towns / Achiuwa
Anunony / Shamet
Bridges / McBride
Brunson / Wright

[KnixinSix]

Lets go with the current starters and bench:

Mitch
KAT
OG
Bridges
Brunson

6. Hart
7. Deuce
8. Kolek


This is my wishlist if we're not making major moves..

Vet minimum signings:

Brook Lopez - stretch 5
Bojan Bogdanovic - bucket getter off the bench; also has size we need
Marcus Morris - wish we had this year. He is still a 40% 3point shooter. Adds toughness we need as well
Alec Burks - is still a good defender at the 1-3 position. Still can give you 8-10 ppg.

Non-MLE Tax:

Ben Simmons - yeah I said it. He can be our secondary ball handler, he can guard from 1-4 and small ball 5s. He is still a a premier defender, a rebounder that is still 6'9 on the open court. He will not be playing crunch time. Coming off the bench and play 20-25 minutes would be best for him.

at least one of Bridges or Hart should get traded for a reliable shooter and willing defender, not just stricky and part time ones

We will need to extend Bridges because trading 5 FRPs for 2 years will not be a good look. If Hart has to go, then I will understand. Bridges has guarded one of the two best players every game, Bridges is still a good shooter.

If you trade Hart, a Ben Simmons will be a key signing. It basically replaces Hart but Ben Simmons cannot play crunch time players (arse in FTs).

Ben Simmons is LITERALLY a perfect back up to Jalen Brunson. Because he supplements everything that Brunson doesnt do as well or doesn't have. He has height/length, he rebounds, he plays excellent defense. If Brunson is having an off game you play him a few more minutes or when protecting a lead at the end of games. He basically is a better defensive version of Josh Hart at a fraction of the price.

[Clyde_Style]

The most obvious move is to trade Mitch. He has a one year deal, his value will never be higher cannot bring him, Mikal and Hart back long term with the second apron situation in a few years.

Would go into the summer with

Towns
OG
Mikal
Deuce
Brunson

Hart
Hukporti
Pacome
Kolek

Mitch making 12.9, cant bring in salary over his correct?

Would look for center hungry teams and target a guard who has strong POA and floor spacing ability to start next to Brunson ideally.. fully embrace a pace and movement ball club.

Why would you want to get rid of the player who may have had one of the greatest impacts in the Knicks last two playoff series?

I’ll admit I have a bias against Mitch, but I think these concerns are worth repeating:

Injury History – We really need to stop calling these "freak accidents." At this point, it's fair to say he's injury-prone. In the new CBA era with second apron, you can't afford that kind of unreliability from a core rotation piece.

Knicks staff rebuilt him like the 6 Million Dollar Man. His body composition is obviously different and more balanced, less top-heavy.

Hack-a-Mitch Will Be a Problem in the Playoffs – His free throw shooting has plummeted to near-Shaq levels. That’s a glaring issue in tight postseason games where every possession matters.

That's one of the easier things to improve. He even started hitting more of them later in these playoffs.

Limited Offensively – Pairing Mitch with another offensively limited player like Hart clogs the halfcourt offense. In the regular season, teams play it safe, but the playoffs bring complex defensive schemes that expose this kind of roster imbalance.

Just because Thibs didn't know how to maximize our players doesn't mean we won't improve with the next coach. KAT thrived next to Gobert. New coach, new day.

Disappears Without Offensive Rebounds – If Mitch isn't grabbing boards or disrupting flow on offense, he fades into the background. That’s not necessarily his fault—it’s just the reality of his skill set.

That is not what happened these last two series. He was EVERYWHERE on the court.

Interior vs. Perimeter Defense – This is more about where the NBA is today than Mitch himself. He can guard bigs and swat threes, but perimeter switches and spacing-heavy offenses limit his impact. The league demands versatility and switchability, especially in the playoffs.

Again, Mitch showed more defensive range than anytime since his rookie year. His lateral and North/South footwork was poppin' and he was close gaps from the perimeter to the paint with two steps. He was bottling up bigs in the corners and making them turn over the ball.

Is there a solution, no not really because Mitch's defense and rebounding presence is everywhere. If we keep him, we need to limit him to 18-25 minutes.

[Clyde_Style]

Why would you want to get rid of the player who may have had one of the greatest impacts in the Knicks last two playoff series?

I’ll admit I have a bias against Mitch, but I think these concerns are worth repeating:

Injury History – We really need to stop calling these "freak accidents." At this point, it's fair to say he's injury-prone. In the new CBA era with second apron, you can't afford that kind of unreliability from a core rotation piece.

Hack-a-Mitch Will Be a Problem in the Playoffs – His free throw shooting has plummeted to near-Shaq levels. That’s a glaring issue in tight postseason games where every possession matters.

Limited Offensively – Pairing Mitch with another offensively limited player like Hart clogs the halfcourt offense. In the regular season, teams play it safe, but the playoffs bring complex defensive schemes that expose this kind of roster imbalance.

Disappears Without Offensive Rebounds – If Mitch isn't grabbing boards or disrupting flow on offense, he fades into the background. That’s not necessarily his fault—it’s just the reality of his skill set.

Interior vs. Perimeter Defense – This is more about where the NBA is today than Mitch himself. He can guard bigs and swat threes, but perimeter switches and spacing-heavy offenses limit his impact. The league demands versatility and switchability, especially in the playoffs.

Is there a solution, no not really because Mitch's defense and rebounding presence is everywhere. If we keep him, we need to limit him to 18-25 minutes.

Mitch is undoubtedly a defensive force multiplier. Yes he has weaknesses but if used properly he is your Mariano Rivera closer who Thibs did NOT bring in to hold a 16 pt lead in game 1 of the ECF. He also supplements everything KAT does not do.

In nutritional circles, Mitch is referred to as "Vitamin M"

[8516knicks]

at least one of Bridges or Hart should get traded for a reliable shooter and willing defender, not just stricky and part time ones

We will need to extend Bridges because trading 5 FRPs for 2 years will not be a good look. If Hart has to go, then I will understand. Bridges has guarded one of the two best players every game, Bridges is still a good shooter.

If you trade Hart, a Ben Simmons will be a key signing. It basically replaces Hart but Ben Simmons cannot play crunch time players (arse in FTs).

Ben Simmons is LITERALLY a perfect back up to Jalen Brunson. Because he supplements everything that Brunson doesnt do as well or doesn't have. He has height/length, he rebounds, he plays excellent defense. If Brunson is having an off game you play him a few more minutes or when protecting a lead at the end of games. He basically is a better defensive version of Josh Hart at a fraction of the price.

If only he: 1.) had a smidgen of character and 2.) has a psyche evaluation that deems him stable.

[Clyde_Style]

Grimes is the ideal backcourt partner for Brunson. He is literally the ideal prototype with size, elite defense and ability to score off the ball.

Odds of that happening are probably close to zero. Letting him go for peanuts was Rose's biggest mistake.

[HopelessKnick]

Grimes is the ideal backcourt partner for Brunson. He is literally the ideal prototype with size, elite defense and ability to score off the ball.

Odds of that happening are probably close to zero. Letting him go for peanuts was Rose's biggest mistake.

Grimes was one of the few young players that really got a lot of opportunities here if we are honest. He played 17minutes a game as a rookie which is pretty rare under Thibs. Then he became a fulltime starter playing 30minutes a game in his second season. He really regressed his third season and looked very hesitant with his shot etc. I think we sometimes tend to believe a certain development would have taken place regardless of the player's environment but I'm not sure. I feel like Grimes got a very fair shake here....maybe he was too young, maybe too much pressure....keep in mind that the late season breakthrough is in limited games...if anything Mavs fans should be mad at Harrison because Grimes was playing pretty solid for them prior to the trade...

[HopelessKnick]

at least one of Bridges or Hart should get traded for a reliable shooter and willing defender, not just stricky and part time ones

We will need to extend Bridges because trading 5 FRPs for 2 years will not be a good look. If Hart has to go, then I will understand. Bridges has guarded one of the two best players every game, Bridges is still a good shooter.

If you trade Hart, a Ben Simmons will be a key signing. It basically replaces Hart but Ben Simmons cannot play crunch time players (arse in FTs).

Hart and Mitch for Ayton or Hart and Achiuwa for DeRozan

Ayton / Hukporti
Towns / Achiuwa
Anunony / Shamet
Bridges / McBride
Brunson / Wright

Hart and Mitch for Ayton would be highly questionable....you'd be extracting almost all of the grit and toughness of this team for a 7 footer that struggles to get to the line 2times a game. Hard pass IMO. If Hart is getting dealt we better get a super tough player back (like a Dillon Brooks type of guy).

[TheGreenArrow]

My ideal off season would be……!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mikal & Mitch for JJJ!!!!!!!!!!!

Kat deuce pacome kolek and 3 second round picks for Trey Murphy & herb jones!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Brunson
Murphy
Og
Herb
Jjj

Hc Bryant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[HopelessKnick]

One note in regards to the cap: As soon as we use the MLE-exception we trigger the second Apron...even if we use only part of it. I think there is a good chance to believe the FO won't use the taxpayer exception at all which will in turn only leave trades as an avenue to improve this team.

I looked at it over and over.....I believe many fans overestimate the chance of improving this team without sacrificing one of the core. Maybe a veteran minimum signing like Horford could increase depths for a season but nothing substantial will take place there IMO. No team wants to trigger the second Apron as far as I understand it. So in conclusion to improve the depth of this team substantially, the only possible avenue would be trading KAT for 2 contracts in the 25mill. range. This way you could get 2 legitimately good players and extend the rotation.

[TheGreenArrow]

One note in regards to the cap: As soon as we use the MLE-exception we trigger the second Apron...even if we use only part of it. I think there is a good chance to believe the FO won't use the taxpayer exception at all which will in turn only leave trades as an avenue to improve this team.

I looked at it over and over.....I believe many fans overestimate the chance of improving this team without sacrificing one of the core. Maybe a veteran minimum signing like Horford could increase depths for a season but nothing substantial will take place there IMO. No team wants to trigger the second Apron as far as I understand it. So in conclusion to improve the depth of this team substantially, the only possible avenue would be trading KAT for 2 contracts in the 25mill. range. This way you could get 2 legitimately good players and extend the rotation.

Kat For Trey Murphy and herb jones makes too much sense!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[KnixinSix]

One note in regards to the cap: As soon as we use the MLE-exception we trigger the second Apron...even if we use only part of it. I think there is a good chance to believe the FO won't use the taxpayer exception at all which will in turn only leave trades as an avenue to improve this team.

I looked at it over and over.....I believe many fans overestimate the chance of improving this team without sacrificing one of the core. Maybe a veteran minimum signing like Horford could increase depths for a season but nothing substantial will take place there IMO. No team wants to trigger the second Apron as far as I understand it. So in conclusion to improve the depth of this team substantially, the only possible avenue would be trading KAT for 2 contracts in the 25mill. range. This way you could get 2 legitimately good players and extend the rotation.

This deal is my dream scenario and better in terms of overall roster construction even over Giannis especially if we are tyring to keep KAT and Brunson together:

Reasons why:
1. Brunson remains the alpha of the team
2. KAT remains option #2
3. You surround KAT and Brunson with numerous players in the backcourt and frontcourt that supplement the defensive deficiencies in their game.
4. You increase 3 point shooting on the team with numerous 40 +% potential 3 ball shooters
5. You bring Donte , Brunsons buddy on the team
6. You remain under the 2nd apron
7. Depth on team is excellent



Rotation (Minutes):
JJJ(24)/KAT(14)/ Naz (10)
KAT(20)/JJJ(10)/Naz (18)
OG(32)/ Hart (10) /Naz (6)
Divo (25) / Hart(10)/ Simmons (3)
Brunson (34)/ Simmons (14)

-8 deep rotation

Extended Bench: Shamet, Wright, Huk

*If Naz is unlikely since he would have to pick up his team option to come here...then.....just take Brandon Clarke on Knicks to slary match the outgoing and incoming salaries and Naz simply leaves and the Wolves have more money to play with.

[Pr0nzingis]

Grimes is the ideal backcourt partner for Brunson. He is literally the ideal prototype with size, elite defense and ability to score off the ball.

Odds of that happening are probably close to zero. Letting him go for peanuts was Rose's biggest mistake.

"“It’s just hard when you go the whole quarter without touching the ball, the whole second quarter without touching the ball, and then you get one shot and you got to make it,” Grimes said on Tuesday. “So it’s tough going out there and just standing in the corner the whole game. Then you got to make the shot when you shoot the ball one or two times per game. It is what it is. We’ll see.”"

His fate was sealed.

[KnixinSix]

One note in regards to the cap: As soon as we use the MLE-exception we trigger the second Apron...even if we use only part of it. I think there is a good chance to believe the FO won't use the taxpayer exception at all which will in turn only leave trades as an avenue to improve this team.

I looked at it over and over.....I believe many fans overestimate the chance of improving this team without sacrificing one of the core. Maybe a veteran minimum signing like Horford could increase depths for a season but nothing substantial will take place there IMO. No team wants to trigger the second Apron as far as I understand it. So in conclusion to improve the depth of this team substantially, the only possible avenue would be trading KAT for 2 contracts in the 25mill. range. This way you could get 2 legitimately good players and extend the rotation.

Kat For Trey Murphy and herb jones makes too much sense!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No it doesn't. Way too little back for a top 10-12 player in MVP voting this year.

[spree2kawhi]

One note in regards to the cap: As soon as we use the MLE-exception we trigger the second Apron...even if we use only part of it. I think there is a good chance to believe the FO won't use the taxpayer exception at all which will in turn only leave trades as an avenue to improve this team.

I looked at it over and over.....I believe many fans overestimate the chance of improving this team without sacrificing one of the core. Maybe a veteran minimum signing like Horford could increase depths for a season but nothing substantial will take place there IMO. No team wants to trigger the second Apron as far as I understand it. So in conclusion to improve the depth of this team substantially, the only possible avenue would be trading KAT for 2 contracts in the 25mill. range. This way you could get 2 legitimately good players and extend the rotation.

This deal is my dream scenario and better in terms of overall roster construction even over Giannis especially if we are tyring to keep KAT and Brunson together:

Reasons why:
1. Brunson remains the alpha of the team
2. KAT remains option #2
3. You surround KAT and Brunson with numerous players in the backcourt and frontcourt that supplement the defensive deficiencies in their game.
4. You increase 3 point shooting on the team with numerous 40 +% potential 3 ball shooters
5. You bring Donte , Brunsons buddy on the team
6. You remain under the 2nd apron
7. Depth on team is excellent



Rotation (Minutes):
JJJ(24)/KAT(14)/ Naz (10)
KAT(20)/JJJ(10)/Naz (18)
OG(32)/ Hart (10) /Naz (6)
Divo (25) / Hart(10)/ Simmons (3)
Brunson (34)/ Simmons (14)

Extended Bench: Shamet, Wright, Huk

*If Naz is unlikely since he would have to pick up his team option to come here...then.....just take Brandon Clarke on Knicks to slary match the outgoing and incoming salaries and Naz simply leaves and the Wolves have more money to play with.

That is some ridiculously good return, but why would Minnesota do that?

I bet no such thing is happening. We’re good and I think we’ll only make minor moves. If we could add DiVincenzo, that would already be more than I expect.

[KnixinSix]

One note in regards to the cap: As soon as we use the MLE-exception we trigger the second Apron...even if we use only part of it. I think there is a good chance to believe the FO won't use the taxpayer exception at all which will in turn only leave trades as an avenue to improve this team.

I looked at it over and over.....I believe many fans overestimate the chance of improving this team without sacrificing one of the core. Maybe a veteran minimum signing like Horford could increase depths for a season but nothing substantial will take place there IMO. No team wants to trigger the second Apron as far as I understand it. So in conclusion to improve the depth of this team substantially, the only possible avenue would be trading KAT for 2 contracts in the 25mill. range. This way you could get 2 legitimately good players and extend the rotation.

This deal is my dream scenario and better in terms of overall roster construction even over Giannis especially if we are tyring to keep KAT and Brunson together:

Reasons why:
1. Brunson remains the alpha of the team
2. KAT remains option #2
3. You surround KAT and Brunson with numerous players in the backcourt and frontcourt that supplement the defensive deficiencies in their game.
4. You increase 3 point shooting on the team with numerous 40 +% potential 3 ball shooters
5. You bring Donte , Brunsons buddy on the team
6. You remain under the 2nd apron
7. Depth on team is excellent



Rotation (Minutes):
JJJ(24)/KAT(14)/ Naz (10)
KAT(20)/JJJ(10)/Naz (18)
OG(32)/ Hart (10) /Naz (6)
Divo (25) / Hart(10)/ Simmons (3)
Brunson (34)/ Simmons (14)

Extended Bench: Shamet, Wright, Huk

*If Naz is unlikely since he would have to pick up his team option to come here...then.....just take Brandon Clarke on Knicks to slary match the outgoing and incoming salaries and Naz simply leaves and the Wolves have more money to play with.

That is some ridiculously good return, but why would Minnesota do that?

its all about cap for them and balancing the roster around their players. Minny version Divo was arguably worse than McBride when you factor in defense and they can have McBride at a 1/3 of ths cost. Minny also lacks a true point guard with Connelly kind of cooked. Kolek has excellent point gaurd vision and passing ability and would add a very interesting potential dynamic to their backcourt.

JJJ is CAA with one year left on deal. He narrowly missed out on qualifying for the supermax. That in turn negates memphis's financial advantage in signing him if he asks out at the end of the year. They will want to trade him instead of not getting anything back if he hints he might want to leave.

[VirginiaKnickFan]

If this was ONLY about maximizing trade value I could easily see Bucks prefering Spurs.

1.They can potentially offer the #2 pick.
2.They have young pieces and additional peices they can add to deal.
3.They play in the West and not the East.

However if its also about doing right by Giannis....It becomes more murky. If he says I am fine with San Antonio thats one thing...but rumors are:

1. He has made multiple comments throughout the years about favoring big cities.
2. He has said playing at the Garden is his favorite place and it brings out the best in him
3. Should the Knicks get Kidd he has probably spoken of him more favorably than any other coach in the league.

I think the league wants the Giannis talk to be quieted until the end of the playoffs. So it will really pick up once the finals are over.

Knicks can make a very strong offer too. If its a rebuild they want they can bring in another team that wants Bridges or OG or even KAT (though I think they want to keep KAT) and turn it to multiple picks.

The four team trade I created earlier in this thread gives them a ton of draft capital including picks 7 and 11 THIS year and all the picks swaps back in subsequent years too. The pick swaps are huge because they can tank and now get the benefit of it instead of the other team.

#2. Most NBA players say the same thing.
#3. Knicks aren't getting Kidd.

You were a non stop doubter when some were saying there was a legit chance at OG, then at Bridges, then at KAT.

No one is saying its 100% but there most definitely is enough smoke for this to be is a possibility . Negative things and misinformation with all the media out there is always planted. So anyone can cherry pick a negative report if thats what they have already decided in their minds is what they believe.

Further CP/Macri were just talking about the this topic....
Essentially Knicks arent going through all this drama with Kidd without already knowing this is a decent possibility. Likely they have conducted behind the scenes conversations already and have a pretty good idea what it would take to get him....

And Marc Stein said Dallas is expected to deny the Knicks permission.

[HEZI]

Grimes is the ideal backcourt partner for Brunson. He is literally the ideal prototype with size, elite defense and ability to score off the ball.

Odds of that happening are probably close to zero. Letting him go for peanuts was Rose's biggest mistake.

"“It’s just hard when you go the whole quarter without touching the ball, the whole second quarter without touching the ball, and then you get one shot and you got to make it,” Grimes said on Tuesday. “So it’s tough going out there and just standing in the corner the whole game. Then you got to make the shot when you shoot the ball one or two times per game. It is what it is. We’ll see.”"

His fate was sealed.

His fate was sealed when he couldn’t stay healthy and then the guy who filled in for him did his job better than him and stole his spot. It’s funny how Donte didn’t have that issue

[TheGreenArrow]

One note in regards to the cap: As soon as we use the MLE-exception we trigger the second Apron...even if we use only part of it. I think there is a good chance to believe the FO won't use the taxpayer exception at all which will in turn only leave trades as an avenue to improve this team.

I looked at it over and over.....I believe many fans overestimate the chance of improving this team without sacrificing one of the core. Maybe a veteran minimum signing like Horford could increase depths for a season but nothing substantial will take place there IMO. No team wants to trigger the second Apron as far as I understand it. So in conclusion to improve the depth of this team substantially, the only possible avenue would be trading KAT for 2 contracts in the 25mill. range. This way you could get 2 legitimately good players and extend the rotation.

Kat For Trey Murphy and herb jones makes too much sense!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No it doesn't. Way too little back for a top 10-12 player in MVP voting this year.

I like Kat but he is nowhere near a top 10-12 player!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Getting herb and Murphy allows to get more athletic and better defensively(which helps Brunson immensely)without losing kats shooting gravity!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It’s a perfect trade if we’re being honest with ourselves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!