Tyus Jones Among Point Guards On Kings’ Radar
The Kings are expected to explore both the trade market and free agency this offseason in search of help at the point guard position, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
According to Scotto, Tyus Jones is one of several veteran point guards who is on Sacramento’s radar heading into the summer. Jones will be an unrestricted free agent after spending the 2024/25 season on a minimum-salary contract with Phoenix.
Jones, who earned $15MM in 2022/23 and $14MM in ’23/24, was viewed as a candidate for a mid-level deal last offseason and reportedly received offers worth more than the minimum. However, he wasn’t enamored with any of those offers and Phoenix gave him the opportunity to play a starting role for a team with championship aspirations.
Unfortunately for Jones and the Suns, the season didn’t play out as they’d hoped. The 29-year-old put up solid numbers, including 10.2 points and 5.3 assists per game with a 41.4% mark on three-point attempts, but Phoenix’s offense was less effective than it had been the year before and Jones lost his starting job during the second half.
Jones is considered a strong facilitator and shooter who takes excellent care of the ball — his 1.1 turnovers per game in 2024/25 represented a career high. However, he’s not a big-time scorer who can generate his own shot and is a little undersized on the defensive end.
When I previewed the Kings’ offseason on Tuesday, I mentioned Jones as one of many free agent point guards who might hold some appeal for a Sacramento team that traded former starter De’Aaron Fox away in February. Chris Paul, Dennis Schröder, D’Angelo Russell, Malcolm Brogdon, and Tre Jones are some of the other point guards who are on track for free agency and aren’t considered locks to re-sign with their current teams.
Based on Sacramento’s current cap position, the club should have the non-taxpayer mid-level exception (worth a projected $14.1MM) available this summer.
2025 NBA Offseason Preview: Sacramento Kings
It was just two years ago that the Kings posted their best regular season record (48-34) in nearly two decades. That year's team snapped a streak of 16 straight years out of the playoffs, earned Mike Brown Coach of the Year honors, and introduced the phrase "light the beam" into the NBA lexicon.
The vibes were good in Sacramento entering the 2023/24 season, but a 46-win showing wasn't quite enough to make a second straight playoff appearance in a competitive Western Conference.
It was a step back, but only a small one -- the club stumbled more significantly in 2024/25, losing 19 of its first 32 games, which cost Brown his job and led to a trade request from star point guard De'Aaron Fox, who was sent to San Antonio ahead of February's trade deadline. The season ended with a sub-.500 record (40-42) and a blowout loss in the play-in tournament to a Mavericks team missing its top scorer and play-maker (Kyrie Irving).
Suddenly, a Sacramento squad that seemed to be on the rise two years ago is lacking a clear direction. Domantas Sabonis, a perennial 19 PPG scorer who is one of the NBA's best rebounding and passing big men, was as good as ever in '24/25, but there are significant questions about the supporting cast around him.
The Kings' top two scorers were Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, the former leaders of a Bulls team that routinely hovered around 40 wins in recent years. Malik Monk, the Sixth Man of the Year runner-up in 2024, saw his three-point percentage plummet to 32.5%. Keegan Murray, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 draft, took a step backward as a scorer and shooter in his third NBA season. And 2024 lottery pick Devin Carter, who had his professional debut delayed by shoulder surgery, wasn't able to provide consistent positive minutes once he got healthy.
The future in Sacramento doesn't look nearly as bleak in 2025 as it did during most of the team's postseason drought from 2007-22. But new general manager Scott Perry, hired last month after Monte McNair was let go, will have his work cut out for him as he attempts to turn the Kings into a title contender.
The Kings' Offseason Plan
The first issue Perry needs to address as he takes the reins in Sacramento is making sure Sabonis feels comfortable with the team's direction. The 29-year-old still has three years left on his current contract, so the Kings won't have to worry about his flight risk in the short term like they did with Fox, but the comments Sabonis made after the season ended weren't all that dissimilar to the ones Fox made a year ago.
Jazz’s Austin Ainge On Tanking: ‘Won’t See That’ In 2025/26
Asked during his introductory press conference on Monday about whether the Jazz intend to continue tanking and manipulating players’ minutes in 2025/26, new president of basketball operations Austin Ainge offered a succinct response, per Kevin Reynolds and Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune and Tony Jones of The Athletic.
“You won’t see that this year,” Ainge said.
The Jazz held several of their most effective veteran players – including Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler, John Collins, Collin Sexton, and Jordan Clarkson – out of games or limited their minutes down the stretch last season. While the team’s leaders might have said that approach was about developing young players, it was more about improving Utah’s lottery odds. That backfired on lottery night last month, as the Jazz fell to No. 5 in the 2025 draft after posting an NBA-worst 17-65 record.
Based on conversations with team sources, Jones writes, Ainge’s vow not to tank in 2025/26 could mean one of two things. While it’s possible that Utah focuses on improving its roster and adding veteran talent around Markkanen in the hopes of moving up the standings next season, it also could mean the Jazz simply double down on their youth movement and trade away some of their current vets who would help them win more games.
Even without manipulating players’ minutes, Utah could very well be the worst team in a competitive Western Conference in ’25/26. All 10 clubs that made the playoffs or play-in tournament are expected to remain in win-now mode, with the Suns, Trail Blazers, Spurs, and Pelicans potentially all looking to break into that group as well. In other words, the Jazz don’t necessarily need to explicitly tank to end up with another high draft pick in 2026.
It’s also worth noting that the Jazz will owe their 2026 first-round pick to the Thunder if it lands outside the top eight. If it falls within the top eight, Utah would keep it and would no longer owe Oklahoma City a pick. That figures to be a major factor working against the idea of trying to move up the standings by adding veteran help this summer.
We have more out of Utah:
- While the Jazz were disappointed that the lottery didn’t put them in position to draft a potential franchise cornerstone like Cooper Flagg or Dylan Harper, Ainge said on Monday that winning the lottery isn’t the only way to find that kind of player. “If you look at the playoffs and look at all the best players in the NBA, and how many of them went No. 1, it’s better to have the No. 1 pick,” Ainge said, per Reynolds of The Salt Lake Tribune. “But there’s a lot of other stars that came from all over the draft, and certainly the Jazz have a long history of second-rounders that become All-Stars. So (getting the No. 1 pick) is not the only way to do it.”
- Utah isn’t known as a popular free agent destination, but Ainge believes players will want to come if the team can build a positive culture, like his old team in Boston did. “It’s the same. Honestly, I think this is a great place,” he said, according to Reynolds. “Players want hope. They want to win. They want great culture. They want great coaching. They want great teammates. So that’s what we have to give.”
- The Jazz’s pre-draft workouts to this point have mostly featured prospects they view as second-round picks or undrafted free agent targets, according to Jones. The club intends to bring in candidates for its No. 21 pick within the next couple weeks and potential targets at No. 5 later this month, Jones adds. Besides No. 5 and No. 21, Utah owns the 43rd and 53rd overall picks, though Ainge said on Monday that everything is on the table with all of those picks, so the club may end up trading one or more of them.
- At least one team drafting in the lottery has already engaged the Jazz in discussions about a possible deal, sources tell Jones.
Wolves’ Connelly Talks Second Apron, Core, Offseason
Despite having an opt-out clause in his contract, Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly spoke on Monday as if he’ll be with the organization for the foreseeable future. He also expressed optimism about the team’s ability to retain players like Julius Randle, Naz Reid, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker this offseason.
Randle and Reid hold player options, while Alexander-Walker will be an unrestricted free agent. Bringing back all three could put Minnesota back into second tax apron territory, which is where they spent the 2024/25 season. Connelly acknowledged that the team doesn’t necessarily want to make a habit of maintaining a payroll that high.
“I think optimally you can dip your toe in (to the second apron) but you don’t want to be there too consistently, because it just gets so punitive,” Connelly said (Twitter video link via Dane Moore). “It’s not just super expensive – and we had great ownership that allowed us to spend a lot, a lot of money – but it’s so restrictive with deal-making. So how can we insure that we’re as nimble as possible? I wouldn’t say it’s a steadfast, ‘We’re definitely going to be out of (the second apron).’ But if we’re going to be in it, we’re going to be in it for a good reason.”
All indications are that incoming owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez will be comfortable continuing to pay luxury tax penalties going forward, but as Connelly points out, a second-apron team faces major roster-building limitations.
For instance, while the Timberwolves reportedly pursued Kevin Durant at the 2025 trade deadline, actually making a deal for the Suns star would have been impossible unless Minnesota could have moved below the second apron, allowing the team to aggregate salaries to match Durant’s maximum-salary contract.
The Wolves have a path out of the second apron this summer, which could put them in better position to make a play for a high-priced star like Durant. Connelly didn’t rule out the possibility of pursuing a major deal in the coming weeks or months, but also expressed confidence in the team’s current core, per Dave Campbell of The Associated Press.
“We feel very happy with the core we have. We don’t feel like there’s tremendous pressure to do much,” Connelly said. “But until you’re raising the (championship) trophy, you’ve got to be as active and as creative as possible to get to the point where you’re the final team.
“… Those organizations that can show patience tend to have a really high level of success. But patience shouldn’t lead to risk aversion. If there’s something that if we have to shake it up and make us a better team, we’re certainly open to that.”
Knicks Dismiss Tom Thibodeau
2:03 pm: The Knicks have formally confirmed in a press release that they’ve relieved Thibodeau of his duties.
“Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans. This pursuit led us to the difficult decision to inform Tom Thibodeau that we’ve decided to move in another direction,” Rose said in a statement. “We can’t thank Tom enough for pouring his heart and soul into each and every day of being the New York Knicks head coach. He led us not only with class and professionalism for the past five seasons, but also to tremendous success on the court with four playoff berths and four playoff series victories.
“Ultimately, we made the decision we feel is best for our organization moving forward. Tom will always be a part of our Knicks family and we truly wish him nothing but the best in the future.”
1:41 pm: The Knicks are parting ways with head coach Tom Thibodeau, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
The timing of the move is surprising, given that New York just had its best season in a quarter-century, coming within two wins of appearing in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. While there were rumblings earlier in the year that Thibodeau would be on the hot seat if the Knicks made an early playoff exit, that chatter had quieted down following playoff series wins over the Pistons and Celtics.
Steve Popper of Newsday (Twitter link) says he heard from a source that Thibodeau believed he’d need to win that second-round series against Boston to keep his job. However, even that upset win proved not to be enough. The organization – which is “singularly focused” on winning a championship – believes a new voice on the sidelines can help the team take its next step toward a title, Charania explains (via Twitter).
According to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (Twitter link), the decision to fire Thibodeau was made by president of basketball operations Leon Rose, with the support of ownership.
Thibodeau, who coached the Bulls from 2010-15 and the Timberwolves from 2017-19, was hired by the Knicks ahead of the 2020/21 season. He posted a 226-174 (.565) regular season record across his five years with the franchise, leading the Knicks to four playoff appearances and four series wins, with an overall record of 24-23 (.511) in the postseason. He was named the NBA’s Coach of the Year in 2021.
Thibodeau has received criticism over the years for his tendency to lean very heavily on his starters and not make much use of his bench. However, his players have typically been vocal in their support for him. Following the team’s elimination from the postseason over the weekend, Jalen Brunson bristled at speculation about his head coach’s future, responding, “Is that a real question right now? You just asked me if I believe he’s the right guy. Yes. Come on.”
The Knicks will still owe Thibodeau at least $30MM in guaranteed money, sources tell Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link). He had signed a three-year extension last summer that was set to go into effect in 2025/26.
New York will be just the second NBA team to launch a head coaching search this spring, joining the Suns. Phoenix has reportedly narrowed its search to a pair of Cavaliers assistants, Johnnie Bryant and Jordan Ott.
And-Ones: European Prospects, Extension Candidates, Dynasties
As we outlined last month when we passed along the list of prospects invited to the NBA’s draft combine, a player who is invited to the combine and declines to attend without an excused absence becomes ineligible to be drafted.
Many of the prospects who were granted excused absences from the combine in Chicago were international players whose teams were still playing. According to Erik Slater of ClutchPoints (Twitter link), the NBA is holding pre-draft activities (measurements, drills, etc.) this week in Treviso, Italy for those players whose commitments overseas prevented them from traveling to Chicago.
That group, Slater says, includes Noa Essengue (who is playing in Germany), Joan Beringer (Slovenia), Nolan Traore (France), Ben Saraf (Germany), Hugo Gonzalez (Spain), Bogoljub Markovic (Serbia), and Noah Penda (France).
It’s unclear whether all of those players will be able to attend the event in Treviso, since some of their seasons still aren’t over. Essengue and Safar, for example, both play for Ratiopharm Ulm, which is currently competing in the semifinals of the Basketball Bundesliga playoffs in Germany. Game 2 of that series will be played on Wednesday.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- While the free agent class of 2025 isn’t particularly star-studded, there will be no shortage of veteran extension candidates to monitor this offseason, as Bobby Marks details for ESPN. Marks takes an in-depth look at which players seem likely to sign new deals in the coming months, including Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox, and Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr., and which players are longer shots for new contracts. That latter group includes players who would benefit financially from waiting, like Lakers guard Austin Reaves, and some who are unlikely to get an offer from their current team, such as Pelicans forward Zion Williamson.
- Is it bad for business that the NBA’s age of dynasties appears to be over? Tania Ganguli of The New York Times considers that topic in an in-depth story open to non-subscribers.
- Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report proposes a complex three-team deal involving the Celtics, Mavericks, and Nets that would save Boston a projected $230MM+, fortify Dallas’ backcourt, and send a pair of draft assets to Brooklyn along with mostly expiring contracts.
Community Shootaround: Lottery Team Most Likely To Trade Pick?
From 2017 to 2019, at least one top-five pick was traded in three consecutive NBA drafts.
The Sixers and Celtics swapped the first and third overall picks (used on Markelle Fultz and Jayson Tatum, respectively) in 2017; the Mavericks and Hawks made a deal involving the No. 3 and No. 5 picks (Luka Doncic and Trae Young) in 2018; and the Lakers included the No. 4 pick (which became De’Andre Hunter) in their package for then-Pelicans star Anthony Davis in 2019.
We haven’t seen a top-five pick on the move since 2019, but trades involving lottery selections have remained relatively common. At least one lottery pick has been moved on or around draft night in each of the past four years, often by teams moving down a little in the first round.
In other words, while we can’t count on a high draft pick being included in a blockbuster trade every year, there’s clearly a precedent for top-14 selections changing hands in June. And this year’s draft features plenty of teams who could be prime candidates to deal.
The Mavericks, at No. 1, proved in February when they traded Doncic to Los Angeles that nothing’s off the table for them. But it sounds pretty safe to assume they won’t be moving the first overall pick, which they’ll use on Cooper Flagg.
That means the list of legitimate trade candidates in the lottery starts with the Spurs, who hold the No. 2 and No. 14 picks. Dylan Harper is widely considered the frontrunner to be the first player drafted after Flagg, but San Antonio already has De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle in its backcourt. Could that open the door for another team to trade up for that No. 2 pick, with the Spurs acquiring some extra assets while moving down in the draft and selecting a prospect who would be a better fit alongside their current core?
At No. 3, the top prospect on the Sixers‘ board might be Ace Bailey, but he’s widely viewed as a long-term play who might not be ready to contribute to a veteran team with title aspirations right away. The 76ers are reportedly eager to add some more youth and athleticism to a roster that was plagued by injuries in 2024/25, but perhaps they could trade down a few spots and still accomplish that feat.
There are no obvious reasons why the Hornets (No. 4), Jazz (No. 5), Wizards (No. 6), Pelicans (No. 7), and Nets (No. 8) would need to make a deal, but several of those clubs are loaded with future draft assets, which could put them in a good position to move up for a player they like.
The Raptors at No. 9 appear ready to transition to win-now mode as they prepare to incorporate deadline addition Brandon Ingram, while the Rockets at No. 10 are already very much in win-now mode, having struggled to find playing time for third overall pick Reed Sheppard last season. Will Toronto and Houston be looking to bring in another rookie or would they prefer to include their lottery picks in trades for more veteran help?
The Trail Blazers (No. 11), Bulls (No. 12), and Hawks (No. 13) round out the lottery, along with the aforementioned Spurs. And it’s worth noting that many of the deals in lottery-pick trades in recent years have involved these back-end selections — the 11th and 13 picks were included in trades in 2022, the 10th and 12th picks were moved in 2023, and the 14th pick was dealt in 2024.
We want to know what you think. Which lottery team is most likely to trade its pick? What sort of deal will that team be looking to make? How many selections in this year’s top 14 do you expect to change hands?
Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!
NBA Finals Notes: Thunder, Pacers, MVPs, Market Size, More
A blockbuster 2017 trade between the Thunder and Pacers helped set the stage for the 2025 NBA Finals, writes Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. On June 30 of that year, Oklahoma City agreed to send Domantas Sabonis and Victor Oladipo to Indiana in exchange for Paul George.
None of those players will be playing in these NBA Finals, but George and Sabonis were later used to acquire several of this series’ stars. Sending George to the Clippers in 2019 netted the Thunder a trade package that included Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the future draft pick that eventually became Jalen Williams. As for the Pacers, they dealt Sabonis to Sacramento at the 2022 trade deadline as part of the six-player trade that landed Tyrese Haliburton in Indiana.
As Anthony Slater of The Athletic writes, you can go back even further to find the key trade that instigated the series of roster moves that saw Oklahoma City acquire George.
Back in 2008, then-SuperSonics general manager Sam Presti was able to extract two first-round picks from Phoenix to take on Kurt Thomas‘ unwanted salary and get the Suns out of the tax. Presti used the first of those picks to draft Serge Ibaka, who was traded in 2016 to Orlando for Oladipo and Sabonis — the exact package that the Thunder used a year later to land George.
Here’s more on the upcoming NBA Finals:
- Gilgeous-Alexander and Haliburton rank first and second, in that order, in two lists published today by ESPN.com. In the first, Tim Bontemps ranks the 2025 postseason MVPs, with the Thunder and Pacers point guards leap-frogging Jalen Brunson for the top spots following the conference finals. In the second, Bontemps and Kevin Pelton rank the top 20 players in the NBA Finals, with Pascal Siakam, Williams, and Chet Holmgren rounding out the top five.
- Indianapolis is the 25th-largest media market in the United States, while Oklahoma City comes in at No. 47. Will a spring showdown between two small-market franchises affect the NBA’s bottom line? According to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic, while the revenue generated by merchandise and ticket sales may fell well short of a New York-vs.-Los Angeles-type Finals, the league won’t really have to worry about a one-year ratings dip after having finalized a new long-term media rights deal in 2024. “There’s really no direct impact between ratings and financial success, certainly in the near term,” a former senior NBA executive told The Athletic. “If you have bad ratings for the next decade then that limits your TV rights. But I don’t think anyone in the NBA is worried about that right now because the revenues for TV are guaranteed.”
- Law Murray of The Athletic takes a closer look at how the Thunder and Pacers compare to one another in terms of the possession battle. As Murray details, neither team turns the ball over much, but Indiana has been the worst offensive rebounding team of the 16 clubs in the playoffs and doesn’t force opponent turnovers at nearly the same rate as Oklahoma City. Neutralizing the Thunder’s usual advantage in possessions and shot attempts will give the Pacers their best chance at pulling off the upset.
Rockets Rumors: Adams, Lopez, VanVleet, Holiday, Durant, More
A handful of Rockets veterans, including Steven Adams, Jeff Green, and Jae’Sean Tate, are headed for unrestricted free agency this summer. Of those UFAs, Adams is viewed as the team’s “clear priority,” sources tell Kelly Iko of The Athletic.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that Green and/or Tate won’t be back, but they may be minimum-salary options for Houston, whereas it will almost certainly take more than that to re-sign Adams, who became an important part of the club’s rotation late in the season. The Rockets are operating under the assumption that the veteran center wants to return, Iko writes, and are expected to continue talking to him about a new contract.
Adams is extension-eligible now and could be signed to a new deal prior to free agency, but if the two sides can’t work something out, Houston may circle back to Brook Lopez, team sources tell Iko. Lopez was a top Rockets target during the 2023 free agent period and came close to making the move to Houston at that time before deciding to remain in Milwaukee.
The Rockets also hold team options for 2025/26 on a pair of guards: Fred VanVleet ($44.9MM) and Aaron Holiday ($4.9MM). The expectation is that VanVleet will return to Houston, either on his team option or on a new contract, Iko writes. The Rockets are also interested in retaining Holiday, but that doesn’t necessarily mean his option will be picked up — the club may wait to get a better sense of how its offseason and the league-wide market are playing out before making a decision on the reserve guard, Iko explains.
Here’s more from Iko on the Rockets:
- While Houston would like to keep its young core together, the team is willing to consider the possibility of a significant trade. Giannis Antetokounmpo is considered a top target, though it remains to be seen whether the Bucks will actually make him available, Iko writes. The Suns, conversely, have made multiple calls to the Rockets since the end of the season about the possibility of a deal that sends Kevin Durant to Houston and sends some of the Suns’ draft assets back to Phoenix, team sources tell The Athletic. The asking price for Durant has been “gradually lowered” over the course of those calls, according to Iko, who says the Rockets would be interested if the price is modest enough, despite their desire to keep their core intact.
- The Rockets also anticipate having trade conversations with the Celtics‘ front office this summer, given Boston’s reported desire to reduce its payroll, says Iko.
- The expectation is that Reed Sheppard will have a “vastly expanded role” in 2025/26 after playing sparingly as a rookie, Iko reports. The Rockets remain very high on last year’s No. 3 overall pick, viewing him as a player whose floor-spacing abilities can help in the short term and whose long-term ceiling is high.
- Houston has received inquiries from rivals about former first-rounder Cam Whitmore, as well as this year’s No. 10 overall pick, per Iko. The Rockets remain optimistic about Whitmore’s outlook and potential rotation role, and neither he nor his representatives have asked for a change of scenery, so nothing is imminent on that front, Iko reports. As for this year’s lottery pick, Houston is open to discussing a variety of scenarios, including trading down, trading out of the first round, or packaging that pick with a player to upgrade the roster.
- Although the Rockets’ front office is expected to engage in rookie scale extension negotiations with Jabari Smith and Tari Eason this offseason, team sources tell Iko that the club would be comfortable with the idea of matching an offer sheet for either player in 2026 if no agreements are reached this year.
Knicks Notes: Offseason, Horford, Brunson, Bridges
There’s a good argument to be made that the Knicks should run it back with their current core in 2025/26 while just making some tweaks around the edges of their roster, Chris Mannix writes in a column for SI.com. Mannix notes that continuity is “a key to success in today’s NBA” and suggests the Knicks could benefit from the current group getting a second year under its belts after undergoing some major changes ahead of the 2024/25 season.
Still, the Knicks’ front office is expected to consider all its options and explore the possibility of taking a bigger swing if the right opportunity arises, ESPN’s Shams Charania said during a Monday appearance on SportsCenter (YouTube link; hat tip to RealGM).
“I’m told the Knicks have internal meetings (scheduled) this week to evaluate everything from the roster (to) different changes they could make around everything, but especially the roster,” Charania said. “… Knicks president Leon Rose has gone out and gotten OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Karl-Anthony Towns. I expect him to be just as aggressive this offseason, whether it’s a landmark player that you could bring in there or definitely depth on that bench.
“(Head coach) Tom Thibodeau called it a very important offseason coming up, and this is a team that has won 50-plus games in consecutive seasons for the first time since the early ’90s. Four of his five seasons as head coach, they’ve made it to the playoffs, so it’s been a successful run. Jalen Brunson (is) fully supportive. That front office is fully supportive of Tom Thibodeau as well. But I do expect them to be very active and aggressive on the roster.”
After acquiring Bridges and Towns last offseason, the Knicks no longer have many draft assets to offer up in trades, so if the club makes another major deal this summer, the outgoing package would likely have to be heavy on player value.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Discussing New York’s potential offseason options during the Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link), ESPN’s Tim Bontemps pointed to Al Horford as an example of the kind of free agent who might be attainable and would improve the club’s depth. “I don’t think at this point it makes a lot of sense for Al Horford to be back in Boston,” Bontemps said (hat tip to MassLive.com). “Maybe he will be, but given where things are with the Celtics, I think he’s now much more in play than he might have been a month ago. Al Horford is a longtime friend of Karl-Anthony Towns and has played with him with the Dominican national team for a long time. If they go get Al Horford this summer – who I think would be an unbelievable fit on this Knicks roster – and they go get another perimeter player to deepen their rotation…that’s a much better team. That’s a team that could beat the Pacers next year. That’s a team that’ll be in the mix in the East.”
- Brunson’s decision to accept a more team-friendly extension last summer instead of waiting until this offseason to sign a new, more lucrative free agent contract should begin to pay dividends for the Knicks in July, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post, who observes that the team can operate under the second tax apron due to Brunson’s lower 2025/26 salary. That means New York will be able to aggregate salaries in trades and should have the taxpayer mid-level exception available to work with in free agency.
- After an up-and-down first season in New York, Bridges will be extension-eligible this offseason, which raises a couple of key questions, according to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. First, is Bridges still enthusiastic about a long-term future with the Knicks after facing so much criticism and scrutiny in year one? And if so, are the Knicks comfortable with the idea of offering him an extension that could be worth up to $156MM over four years?