The Nets selected Dzanan Musa with the No. 29 overall pick in Thursday’s draft and while GM Sean Marks said he was excited about the prospect, he admitted that the team was “very close” to trading up.
“You’re trying to figure out is the cost to trade up worth it,” Marks said in an interview with the FAN’s Mike Francesa (h/t Net Income and Anthony Puccio of Nets Daily). “And like most teams, you want to do it on the clock because you’re thinking: ‘Is my guy there? Is my target there? And what’s it going to cost to get there?”
”So at that point, we didn’t feel like it was worth it. We weren’t ready to give away the asking price. And at the same time, these two guys — [Rodions Kurucs] and Dzanan — we’d been targeting, so we’re definitely glad to have them in our family.”
Marks didn’t disclose which players or picks it would have taken to move up in the draft order, though he added that the organization likes its “solid vets on the team.”
Here’s more from the five boroughs:
- Marks suggests the Nets will be active in free agency, as the pair of scribes relay in the same piece. “There are some things out there, whether it’s pending,” the GM said. “We’ll just have to wait and see in July, whether it’s how we use our cap space and how we move forward with that. We have flexibility in the future, which is important.”
- The Knicks feel No. 9 overall pick Kevin Knox and Kristaps Porzingis will make a good tandem at the forward positions, Marc Berman of the New York Post relays. Knox, who spoke to Porzingis via FaceTime after the draft, believes the duo can make an impact in the league. “He stretches the floor, shoots the ball, goes down low. I think me, him and some of the other guys will complement each other very well,” the rookie said.
- The selection of Knox could give Porzingis another reason to sign a long-term deal once his deal expires next summer, Berman writes in the same piece. Porzingis is currently eligible for a contract extension, though the Knicks may prefer to wait to reach an agreement with the former No. 4 overall pick until next summer in order to preserve cap space.
The selection of Knox would make me run if I were KP.
Also, replace “said” with ‘and’ before KP in the second bullet.
Stop being so negative dude, you are what’s wrong with society these days. Never got anything good to say.
Hilarious coming from the guy who constantly puts LeBron down.
But he says every rookie is going to be the next Michael Jordan, and will average at least 20 ppg this year, that’s pretty positive
I’d be positive if the Knicks didn’t make one mistake after another.
Why would you run? Knox isn’t the guy I would have drafted but he was second on my list. Knox is talented and will contribute down the line. The 18-19 season will be a proving ground for Knox and Ntlikina under new head coach Fizdale.
Truth be told I’m happy the Knicks didn’t draft a pg. If they did I’d become a full time Sixers fan.
Ya I didnt even think Mikal Bridges would be there for them. I had them taking Knox once the draft order was set. And he is only 18, so he has a lot of room to keep getting better. I also feel like his skillset fits in with David Fizdale
I am a big fan of Trey Burke/no real reason he shouldn’t be about as good as Kemba Walker/it takes longer for most point guards to mature and I think he’s there. I also believe Ntilikina is a jump shot away from being able to play starters minutes/35 minutes game. And there’s every reason to expect his jump shot will be good enough this year. I am so glad the Knicks didn’t draft a pg.
Knox’s upside is on offense. And its the same upside as KP. They both need to exploit stronger, slower power forwards. So KP and Knox will end up competing with each other for good shot opportunities. In addition they’ll argue who they should guard because neither one will want to guard centers (too much banging; getting overpowered makes them look bad) or small forwards (have to run around chasing them no one wants to do that).
Knox,Porzingis, and Frank will have the Garden rocking this coming season.
They gonna rock people to sleep
^Yes.
If KP is offered an early max extension, he signs it. Period. The only reason he needs is not being insane. No player has ever turned it down, even those having issues with their teams.
This regime has bet it’s rebuild on Knox being able to develop into a high end starting 3. Absent that, a reset will be needed; and as long as Dolan’s around, that won’t be pretty.
No player in their right mind turns down their first max extension.
Never.
– Kawhi Leonard
Kawhi already accepted his first big max type contract. Its got 2 years and 40 million left on it but he can opt out at the end of next year. A lot of max type players do something different on their second max contract offer. Greg Monroe and Nerlens Noel are the only 2 players I can think of who turned down their first major contract offer. They both lost a lot of money as a result. Last summer the Mavs offered Nerlens 4 years/70 million. Instead he accepted his qualifying offer and played this year for 4 million.
Those two weren’t offered max on a rookie scale extension, and that’s why they didn’t sign. Yes, NEVER has a player turned down a max rookie scale extension. Anyone who understands these extensions would understand why. ACL/MCL or any other injury is irrelevant.
I didn’t say Nerlens and Monroe turned down max rookie extensions. I said they turned down major offers to extend their rookie contracts. I would say they were crazy for doing so. I think what I was saying was in support of your basic premise. Guys who’ve made between like 5 and 20 million in 4 years on a rookie deal get offered 50, 60, 100 million for the next 4 or 5 years and virtually all of them take it (whether its a full max or 25% less than a full max or whatever. The first offer after a rookie deal is the first time these guys make completely insane money). And there’s no example of a player not taking it and ending up happy.
Understood, and agreed. But I can see some rational argument for someone turning down a large extension that’s less than max. I can think of one example of a happy rejecting player. James Harden. OKC offered less than max, he declined and was almost immediately traded to Houston, where he was immediately extended at max. While nobody has ever turned down max (if offered either before or after their 4th season), it’s far more risky to do it before the 4th season, because you’re basically committing to 2 more seasons without the financial security that the first big contract provides.
Neither KP nor Knox are good rebounders. Neither one will want to chase the opposing teams’ small forward around all game. The obvious question is how will the Knicks be able to rebound and defend with both these players on the floor. In addition, they’re both going to want to be guarded by the opposing teams’ power forward because that’s how they’ll get their best mis-matches. I am sure Knox has talent but I see a serious problem with fit.
Knox will be coming around screens, and Zinger probably should not. I agree about problems covering 3s but I suspect he will put effort into rebounding, which he does well when he tries.
I don’t see any reason why KP should use screens less than Knox (can you explain your thinking to me?). Maybe they can turn Knox into a small ball center ala Draymond Green and Al Horford. If Knox is strong enough to be able to hold his position on the low block on defense as a small ball center then the pairing could definitely work. I don’t think KP can be a small ball center because its too easy to get beneath him and push him off the low block (if someone can get below him and push him away from the lane, he’s no longer defending the paint)/this is also an easy way for him to get hurt/Anthony Davis keeps getting hurt like this by being forced to cover the basket too much and colliding with burly smaller players/getting his legs cut out from under him by burly smaller players. What Horford and Draymond do takes a really tough strong guy.
KP is long-legged and top-heavy, which can be good but also like you indicated, in some situations can be faulted.
He just can’t curl around a screen, catch and shoot, like Allen Houston used to do so much it was boring to watch NYK. Well he could but at a an unworthy risk of connective tissue wear, already a problem (ACL injury at present). The shot looks so easy but it takes strong wide legs & a solid consistent stance. A low center of gravity helps, as does foot control when landing.
This is Knox’s NBA comparative advantage. He is kind of just a guy in general, but he is unusually long for a player who comes off screens to shoot in such a smooth, steady way. (7’wingspan.) He shoots off the catch well in general, and off the dribble.
Mikal will be better initially, but if Knox’s head is in the right place, he should wind up better. That is a big catch though, esp in NYC. Mikal or Porter would have been a better influence on KP, who seems to rely on Hardaway mentally.
The main reason KP6 will accept the offer is that right now we don’t know if he can play at the level he did before the injury, to me with his height & body doesn’t look good, hopefully I am wrong, but I have this feeling that we might have seen the best from him, like DMC, how I hope I am wrong, hate to see great players, specially DMC, suffering career altering injuries, I prefer to enjoy their talent, so hopefully they recover, but that is a very strong reason for KP6 to sign.