Indiana Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon has emerged as a fallback option for the New York Knicks to solve their point guard woes.
Brogdon has become expendable as the Pacers are keen on rebuilding around Tyrese Haliburton, their prized acquisition from the Domantas Sabonis trade.
Dallas Mavericks’ breakout star Jalen Brunson remains on top of the Knicks’ wish list but creating a pathway to land their future assistant coach, Rick Brunson‘s son, is a bit complicated without cap space.
“The Knicks looking to hire Rick Brunson, per Ian Begley of SNY, isn’t a coincidence. His son, Dallas Mavericks free-agent Jalen Brunson, may be next. While New York won’t have the cap room, multiple sources believe Dallas may blink at Brunson’s asking price, compelled to sign and trade him to the Knicks,” Bleacher Report’s salary cap guru Eric Pincus wrote.
However, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was adamant that they have the upper hand with an extra year (fifth year) they can offer Brunson, which other teams, including the Knicks, cannot offer. The Knicks’ summer plan could pivot quickly to another direction next week if they can successfully trade up for Purdue’s Jaden Ivey, viewed as the best point guard of this class.
But if they missed out on both Brunson and Ivey, Brogdon is their next target, according to Pincus’ colleague at Bleacher Report, Jake Fischer.
“The Knicks have also been linked to Brogdon in recent days by league personnel. New York is known to have interest in trading up from the No. 11 pick, with a perceived target of Purdue combo guard Jaden Ivey. But if New York doesn’t jump up the lottery order—league executives don’t forecast such a deal—and determines it is out of the running for free agent-to-be Jalen Brunson, Brogdon has been mentioned as one of several potential backup options for the Knicks to plug their hole at starting point guard,” Fischer wrote.
The Pacers are looking to flip Brogdon, who recently signed a two-year extension that locked him up until 2025, for a player that will align with Haliburton’s timeline or draft compensation. The Knicks have a deep chest of draft capital to use to improve their roster, which failed to return to the playoffs.
Brogdon, 29, has been a solid two-way point guard when healthy. But his extensive injury history had limited him to just 146 games over the last three seasons.
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