It has been over a decade since the New York Knicks have made win-now moves. They have done just that this offseason, acquiring Brooklyn Nets star Mikal Bridges in a rare trade with the crosstown rival, and re-signing OG Anunoby to a long-term extension. With these moves, the Knicks now find themselves in the mix of title of contention, led by their two all-stars Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle.
Many agree that the Knicks are now serious contenders. Last season, they won 50 regular season games and made it to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, but injuries caught up to them, and their quest for a title ultimately came up short. The Boston Celtics would go on to win the title, but the Knicks will look to stop them from becoming a dynasty.
Adding Mikal Bridges gives the Knicks a loaded starting five
Let’s start with the Bridges addition. Alongside being a perfect fit that can guard multiple different positions and create his own shot offensively, Bridges has the deep Villanova connection with several players on the roster, winning an NCAA National Championship in 2016 with Brunson, Josh Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo, and winning another championship in 2018 with Brunson and DiVincenzo. They have remained in close contact ever since, and now that they’re all on the same team, on-court chemistry will be one of the last things the Knicks will need to worry about.
In 109 total games for the Nets spanning two seasons, Bridges averaged 21.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and shot 45% from the field and 37% from three-point range. The points total will likely subside minimally given that he will not be the Knicks’ first option like he was in Brooklyn, but it is always a luxury to have a guy who is capable of scoring a high level of points on a consistent basis.
The Knicks had been long tied to Bridges since he was traded to the Nets in the Kevin Durant deal with the Suns at the 2023 trade deadline, but nobody ever thought that New York’s dream would become a reality. After all, the two franchises hadn’t traded with each other since 1983 before the Bridges deal. Obviously, it took a lot of convincing for the Nets to fork over their best player to a team that was already in good shape, and the price wasn’t cheap, as the Knicks sent five first-round picks, one second-round pick, and a pick swap to Brooklyn along with Bojan Bogdanovic and Shake Milton.
However, the Knicks still are in possession of four first-round picks over the next three offseasons, including the Detroit Pistons’ pick for next summer. Therefore, they still have the assets to make moves that can help relieve some salary in order to continue building a team that can compete for the next several years.
It became clear that throughout all the rumors surrounding the Knicks involving other players, Bridges was their guy all along. Now that they have him, they will be trotting out a starting five that will be one of the best in the NBA with Brunson-Bridges-Anunoby-Randle-Robinson. DiVincenzo would slide back to the bench, making their bench unit deep with starting-level talent in DiVincenzo, Hart, and Miles McBride. The only thing they are currently missing is a center to back up Mitchell Robinson, but the expectation is that the front office will address that at some point, though their options are running out.
Re-signing Anunoby was a must after last season’s successes
When the Knicks acquired OG Anunoby and shockingly traded away RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley for him, few could have predicted the immediate impact he would have on them. In his first 12 games with the Knicks, the team went 11-1 with an average margin of victory of 16.8 points (h/t KnicksMuse on X). Anunoby would miss some time with an elbow injury and then would sit out Games 3-6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals with a hamstring strain (he played only five minutes in Game 7). Those injuries were costly, as the team went 26-6 when he played and 31-32 when he didn’t.
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Despite the injury problems throughout the season, his fit on the Knicks was undeniable, as he provided them with an elite defensive wing that was also a knockdown spot-up shooter to mesh with Brunson and Randle. Therefore, the Knicks main priority coming into the offseason was to bring him back, and they were successful in doing so by signing him to a five-year, $212 million contract before letting him test the open market, making him a main part of their core for the long run.
Now with Anunoby and Bridges both in the same lineup, the Knicks now have the guys that can stop deadly East duos like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown of the Celtics and Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks. Along with the high-level scoring of Brunson and Randle, Anunoby and Bridges create an all-around balanced attack for them, as they have a great combination of scoring and defense.
Where do the Knicks rank among contenders?
The Knicks are now certainly one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. However, they have steep competition awaiting them. Along with the champion Celtics, the Philadelphia 76ers got busy this summer and signed superstar Paul George to a large deal, forming a big three with him, Tyrese Maxey, and Joel Embiid.
Even so, the Knicks may arguably still have the deeper team. It’s hard to argue with having three All-Stars at your disposal, but recent examples of big three’s failing (i.e. Clippers and Suns last season) provide reason to believe the Knicks are more than capable of taking them down should they meet in the playoffs again.
Let’s say that the Knicks do make it past everyone in the East and reach the NBA Finals, they won’t have it easy for them out West. The Denver Nuggets are expected to bounce back after a disappointing finish last postseason, the Minnesota Timberwolves just came off their first Western Conference Finals appearance in over 20 years, and the Oklahoma City Thunder just added the Knicks’ reliable center after a successful season in Isaiah Hartenstein.
All of that goes without mentioning the Bucks and Cavaliers in the East that can give the Knicks trouble, and the Mavericks and Suns out West that are capable of doing the same. Either way, the Knicks deserve to be in the conversation of teams with a serious chance to bring home the Larry O’Brien trophy next summer. There is still a lot of offseason left to be had, but where things stand right now has the Knicks in a great position to end a half-of-a-century title drought.
