Trades and Transactions 2025 V

[KnixinSix]

Current line-up and approximate minute allocation:

C Mitch(25) , KAT(15), Huk(8)
PF KAT(17), Yabu (20), OG (11)
SF OG(21), Hart (20), Yabu (5)
SG Bridges (32) , Hart (5), McBride (11)
PG Brunson (33), Clarkson (15)

McBride and Clarkson really don't have a ton of minutes available to them unless you drastically reduce Harts minutes.

*Players in orange are players who should probably get a few more minutes in a better balanced line-up

**Players in red are players who definitely should get more minutes in a better balanced line-up


Trade scenario #1 (possible substitution of Mitchell Robinson/McBride instead of Josh Hart):




Possible line-up after trade and approximate minute allocation:

C Mitch(25) , KAT(15), Huk(8)
PF KAT(17), Yabu (20), Lebron (11)
SF LeBron(21), Bridges(15), Yabu (12)
SG Bridges (18) , McBride (22), Clarkson (8)
PG Brunson (33), Clarkson (15)

*Much better balanced lineups in terms of minutes allocation

[VirginiaKnickFan]

I don't want any part of LeBron, and I expect neither does Dolan.

[omerome]

I don't want any part of LeBron, and I expect neither does Dolan.

Same. That trade would seriously make me not want to watch the team. And to add insult to injury, we'd also be bringing his son. Like, come on, man....

[knicks1999]

Any chance the Knicks bring back Precious with the last veteran spot?

[RHODEY]

Any chance the Knicks bring back Precious with the last veteran spot?

[spree2kawhi]

Any chance the Knicks bring back Precious with the last veteran spot?

That would be the icing on the cake.

[KnixinSix]

I don't want any part of LeBron, and I expect neither does Dolan.

I dunno know about that. This isn't Durant. And while some emotional fans hate LeBron I am not sure the Knicks FO feels the same way.

It also makes minutes distribution much better across the board.

[RHODEY]

I don't want any part of LeBron, and I expect neither does Dolan.

I dunno know about that. This isn't Durant. And while some emotional fans hate LeBron I am not sure the Knicks FO feels the same way.

It also makes minutes distribution much better across the board.

No it's worse than Durant.

[KnixinSix]

I don't want any part of LeBron, and I expect neither does Dolan.

I dunno know about that. This isn't Durant. And while some emotional fans hate LeBron I am not sure the Knicks FO feels the same way.

It also makes minutes distribution much better across the board.

No it's worse than Durant.

Maybe for you.

[KnixinSix]

Current line-up and approximate minute allocation:

C Mitch(25) , KAT(15), Huk(8)
PF KAT(17), Yabu (20), OG (11)
SF OG(21), Hart (20), Yabu (5)
SG Bridges (32) , Hart (5), McBride (11)
PG Brunson (33), Clarkson (15)

McBride and Clarkson really don't have a ton of minutes available to them unless you drastically reduce Harts minutes.

*Players in orange are players who should probably get a few more minutes in a better balanced line-up

**Players in red are players who definitely should get more minutes in a better balanced line-up


Trade scenario #2 (possible substitution of Mitchell Robinson/McBride instead of Josh Hart):




Possible line-up after trade and approximate minute allocation:

C KAT(15), Mitch(23) , Giannis(7), Huk (3)
PF Giannis (21), KAT(17), Yabu (11)
SF Bridges(25), Yabu (18), Giannis (5)
SG McBride (20), Bridges (7), Clarkson(12), Shamet(9)
PG Brunson (33), Clarkson (10), McBride (5)

*Much better balanced lineups in terms of minutes allocation

[RHODEY]

I dunno know about that. This isn't Durant. And while some emotional fans hate LeBron I am not sure the Knicks FO feels the same way.

It also makes minutes distribution much better across the board.

No it's worse than Durant.

Maybe for you.

Well yeah its an opinion.

[JayTWill]

Current line-up and approximate minute allocation:

C Mitch(25) , KAT(15), Huk(8)
PF KAT(17), Yabu (20), OG (11)
SF OG(21), Hart (20), Yabu (5)
SG Bridges (32) , Hart (5), McBride (11)
PG Brunson (33), Clarkson (15)

McBride and Clarkson really don't have a ton of minutes available to them unless you drastically reduce Harts minutes.

*Players in orange are players who should probably get a few more minutes in a better balanced line-up

**Players in red are players who definitely should get more minutes in a better balanced line-up


Possible line-up after trade and approximate minute allocation:

C Mitch(25) , KAT(15), Huk(8)
PF KAT(17), Yabu (20), Lebron (11)
SF LeBron(21), Bridges(15), Yabu (12)
SG Bridges (18) , McBride (22), Clarkson (8)
PG Brunson (33), Clarkson (15)

*Much better balanced lineups in terms of minutes allocation

I like the added ball handling and facilitating Lebron would bring but I don't love the idea of trading possibly your best defender in OG for a 41 year old to play him on the perimeter next to guys like Brunson and KAT.

In the limited time with the Brunson/Mikal/OG/KAT/Mitch lineup in the playoffs the Knicks had a defensive rating of 122 and they were killed from 3. It's an incredibly small sample size but I can't imagine swapping OG for Lebron would help the situation. The Lakers defense was terrible with Lebron on the court for some reason last season.

As far as the minutes allocation I don't see much of an issue with your first lineup other than Deuce's limited minutes while giving minutes to Hukporti who hasn't proven he is a rotational player yet.

Mitch's body has broken down any time he played 30 minutes for a month straight. Yabu played 27mpg on a team riddled with injuries. I see no reason to push him up into the 30's on a better/deeper team. Hart is older now with a ton of minutes over the last year and a half. His minutes need to come down significantly imo. Clarkson still needs to prove he is deserving of significant minutes on a team trying to contend.

The 2nd lineup guarantees a ton of overlap between poor defenders that are all used to getting touches. I see no reason to play Brunson next to Clarkson while possibly still having someone like Lebron or KAT on the court. There is only one ball and someone has to play defense.

[KnixinSix]

Current line-up and approximate minute allocation:

C Mitch(25) , KAT(15), Huk(8)
PF KAT(17), Yabu (20), OG (11)
SF OG(21), Hart (20), Yabu (5)
SG Bridges (32) , Hart (5), McBride (11)
PG Brunson (33), Clarkson (15)

McBride and Clarkson really don't have a ton of minutes available to them unless you drastically reduce Harts minutes.

*Players in orange are players who should probably get a few more minutes in a better balanced line-up

**Players in red are players who definitely should get more minutes in a better balanced line-up


Possible line-up after trade and approximate minute allocation:

C Mitch(25) , KAT(15), Huk(8)
PF KAT(17), Yabu (20), Lebron (11)
SF LeBron(21), Bridges(15), Yabu (12)
SG Bridges (18) , McBride (22), Clarkson (8)
PG Brunson (33), Clarkson (15)

*Much better balanced lineups in terms of minutes allocation

I like the added ball handling and facilitating Lebron would bring but I don't love the idea of trading possibly your best defender in OG for a 41 year old to play him on the perimeter next to guys like Brunson and KAT.

In the limited time with the Brunson/Mikal/OG/KAT/Mitch lineup in the playoffs the Knicks had a defensive rating of 122 and they were killed from 3. It's an incredibly small sample size but I can't imagine swapping OG for Lebron would help the situation. The Lakers defense was terrible with Lebron on the court for some reason last season.

As far as the minutes allocation I don't see much of an issue with your first lineup other than Deuce's limited minutes while giving minutes to Hukporti who hasn't proven he is a rotational player yet.

Mitch's body has broken down any time he played 30 minutes for a month straight. Yabu played 27mpg on a team riddled with injuries. I see no reason to push him up into the 30's on a better/deeper team. Hart is older now with a ton of minutes over the last year and a half. His minutes need to come down significantly imo. Clarkson still needs to prove he is deserving of significant minutes on a team trying to contend.

The 2nd lineup guarantees a ton of overlap between poor defenders that are all used to getting touches. I see no reason to play Brunson next to Clarkson while possibly still having someone like Lebron or KAT on the court. There is only one ball and someone has to play defense.

Ok some fair points.

Do you think that lineup with LeBron is better or worse than the current lineup? Do you think Lebron has lost too much? Certainly didn't look like that last year

Also Mitch KAT LeBron Bridges Brunson is not some craptastic starting lineup defensively

[JayTWill]

Current line-up and approximate minute allocation:

C Mitch(25) , KAT(15), Huk(8)
PF KAT(17), Yabu (20), OG (11)
SF OG(21), Hart (20), Yabu (5)
SG Bridges (32) , Hart (5), McBride (11)
PG Brunson (33), Clarkson (15)

McBride and Clarkson really don't have a ton of minutes available to them unless you drastically reduce Harts minutes.

*Players in orange are players who should probably get a few more minutes in a better balanced line-up

**Players in red are players who definitely should get more minutes in a better balanced line-up


Possible line-up after trade and approximate minute allocation:

C Mitch(25) , KAT(15), Huk(8)
PF KAT(17), Yabu (20), Lebron (11)
SF LeBron(21), Bridges(15), Yabu (12)
SG Bridges (18) , McBride (22), Clarkson (8)
PG Brunson (33), Clarkson (15)

*Much better balanced lineups in terms of minutes allocation

I like the added ball handling and facilitating Lebron would bring but I don't love the idea of trading possibly your best defender in OG for a 41 year old to play him on the perimeter next to guys like Brunson and KAT.

In the limited time with the Brunson/Mikal/OG/KAT/Mitch lineup in the playoffs the Knicks had a defensive rating of 122 and they were killed from 3. It's an incredibly small sample size but I can't imagine swapping OG for Lebron would help the situation. The Lakers defense was terrible with Lebron on the court for some reason last season.

As far as the minutes allocation I don't see much of an issue with your first lineup other than Deuce's limited minutes while giving minutes to Hukporti who hasn't proven he is a rotational player yet.

Mitch's body has broken down any time he played 30 minutes for a month straight. Yabu played 27mpg on a team riddled with injuries. I see no reason to push him up into the 30's on a better/deeper team. Hart is older now with a ton of minutes over the last year and a half. His minutes need to come down significantly imo. Clarkson still needs to prove he is deserving of significant minutes on a team trying to contend.

The 2nd lineup guarantees a ton of overlap between poor defenders that are all used to getting touches. I see no reason to play Brunson next to Clarkson while possibly still having someone like Lebron or KAT on the court. There is only one ball and someone has to play defense.

Ok some fair points.

Do you think that lineup with LeBron is better or worse than the current lineup? Do you think Lebron has lost too much? Certainly didn't look like that last year

Offensively I could see the team being better with Lebron's ability to score while hopefully being able to generate more quality looks for his teammates but I don't see the point of trying to get someone like Clarkson more minutes in that scenario as a top 3 of Brunson, KAT and Lebron should be able to generate enough offense and need more defensive help which would be lacking after the trade.

Defensively I would have huge concerns about that rotation as the team wasn't great defensively last year while adding 2 guys that are not know for their defense in free agency and then swapping OG for Lebron who is no where close to the defender he was 10-15 years ago.

I would also have concerns about the depth of your rotation with a 41 year old Lebron, an incredibly injury prone Mitch, a pretty unknown Hukporti along with 2 unknown variables in Clarkson and Yabu playing a good chunk of minutes.

[VirginiaKnickFan]

I don't want any part of LeBron, and I expect neither does Dolan.

I dunno know about that. This isn't Durant. And while some emotional fans hate LeBron I am not sure the Knicks FO feels the same way.

It also makes minutes distribution much better across the board.

No it's worse than Durant.

Agreed.

[VirginiaKnickFan]

Any chance the Knicks bring back Precious with the last veteran spot?

Looks like he's drawing interest overseas.

https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2025/08/precious-achiuwa-reportedly-drawing-interest-from-panathinaikos.html

[BKlutch]

I think signing Yabu is a reason not to sign Precious. Precious would be a backup to Yabu, a backup himself. Precious wouldn't get a lot of minutes, and he's better off playing where he'll be played.

[VirginiaKnickFan]

I think signing Yabu is a reason not to sign Precious. Precious would be a backup to Yabu, a backup himself. Precious wouldn't get a lot of minutes, and he's better off playing where he'll be played.

At this point, I hope we can find more depth at guard with the final roster spot.

[DaGawd]

Current line-up and approximate minute allocation:

C Mitch(25) , KAT(15), Huk(8)
PF KAT(17), Yabu (20), OG (11)
SF OG(21), Hart (20), Yabu (5)
SG Bridges (32) , Hart (5), McBride (11)
PG Brunson (33), Clarkson (15)

McBride and Clarkson really don't have a ton of minutes available to them unless you drastically reduce Harts minutes.

*Players in orange are players who should probably get a few more minutes in a better balanced line-up

**Players in red are players who definitely should get more minutes in a better balanced line-up


Possible line-up after trade and approximate minute allocation:

C Mitch(25) , KAT(15), Huk(8)
PF KAT(17), Yabu (20), Lebron (11)
SF LeBron(21), Bridges(15), Yabu (12)
SG Bridges (18) , McBride (22), Clarkson (8)
PG Brunson (33), Clarkson (15)

*Much better balanced lineups in terms of minutes allocation

I like the added ball handling and facilitating Lebron would bring but I don't love the idea of trading possibly your best defender in OG for a 41 year old to play him on the perimeter next to guys like Brunson and KAT.

In the limited time with the Brunson/Mikal/OG/KAT/Mitch lineup in the playoffs the Knicks had a defensive rating of 122 and they were killed from 3. It's an incredibly small sample size but I can't imagine swapping OG for Lebron would help the situation. The Lakers defense was terrible with Lebron on the court for some reason last season.

As far as the minutes allocation I don't see much of an issue with your first lineup other than Deuce's limited minutes while giving minutes to Hukporti who hasn't proven he is a rotational player yet.

Mitch's body has broken down any time he played 30 minutes for a month straight. Yabu played 27mpg on a team riddled with injuries. I see no reason to push him up into the 30's on a better/deeper team. Hart is older now with a ton of minutes over the last year and a half. His minutes need to come down significantly imo. Clarkson still needs to prove he is deserving of significant minutes on a team trying to contend.

The 2nd lineup guarantees a ton of overlap between poor defenders that are all used to getting touches. I see no reason to play Brunson next to Clarkson while possibly still having someone like Lebron or KAT on the court. There is only one ball and someone has to play defense.

Ok some fair points.

Do you think that lineup with LeBron is better or worse than the current lineup? Do you think Lebron has lost too much? Certainly didn't look like that last year

Also Mitch KAT LeBron Bridges Brunson is not some craptastic starting lineup defensively

it kinda is. lebron is a known coaster defensively nowadays, sometimes downright bad

[cgmw]

No Ben Simmons chatter on the board?

Simmons
Yabu
Hart
Clarkson
Deuce

I get it from the standpoint that he’d fit with the second unit as PG on offense and C on defense, but he is just such an extreme loser personality that I don’t see the risk-reward worth it even at the vet minimum. We have good chemistry and I’d rather see Huk/Shamet brought back. Talented as he is/was, Ben’s personality really is that bad. Why risk it?

Thoughts?