New York Knicks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pre-FA Rumors: LeBron, Ayton, Knicks, Kennard, Rozier

June 30th, 2025 at 4:27pm CST by Luke Adams

Despite the fact that Rich Paul‘s statement accompanying LeBron James‘ opt-in on Sunday raised eyebrows around the NBA, that doesn’t mean that there are any active trade talks involving the Lakers star, NBA insider Chris Haynes said during an appearance on NBA TV (Twitter video link).

“(Paul) told me there have been no trade discussions, there have been no trade talks with the Lakers,” Haynes said. “People have been speculating on certain teams that he might be interested in. I’m told all that talk is false. There has been no trade talks.

“… He clearly opted in and he wants to win. He believes the Lakers have what it takes to maximize Luka (Doncic)‘s timeline, but also maximize and prioritize his timeline.”

While trade speculation has run rampant since Paul asserted that James will be closely monitoring the Lakers’ offseason moves, it hasn’t been uncommon over the years for LeBron to publicly or privately put pressure on his teams to upgrade their respective rosters — he never requested a trade in any of those instances. This may simply be a case of him making sure Los Angeles does all it can to build a roster capable of contending in what could be James’ final NBA season.

With free agency set to officially open at the top of the hour, here are a few rumors – about free agents and other topics – from around the NBA:

During his NBA TV spot (Twitter video link), Haynes also said that there’s a “strong possibility” of Deandre Ayton joining the Lakers in free agency. The former No. 1 overall pick gave up $10MM in his buyout agreement with the Trail Blazers, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link).
After previous reports indicated that Russell Westbrook and Jordan Clarkson are expected to be among the guards on the Knicks‘ radar in free agency, Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link) says the team’s interest in Westbrook is mutual, while Steve Popper of Newsday (Twitter link) says the same of Clarkson.
In addition to confirming several previously reported teams who have interest in sharpshooter Luke Kennard – including Denver, Atlanta, Houston, and New York – Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link) adds the Clippers, Trail Blazers, and Pistons to the list of suitors for the 29-year-old. Scotto also reiterates, as he reported earlier, that Kennard isn’t expected to return to Memphis.
During a discussion on The Pat McAfee Show about the federal probe into Malik Beasley for gambling allegations, ESPN’s Shams Charania suggested that Heat guard Terry Rozier may be out of the woods in regard to a similar investigation into him. “Terry Rozier, as of right now, has been cleared,” Charania said. “… There’s really nothing active, as of right now, with him.” Since Charania mentioned this in passing rather than explicitly reporting it, I’m not sure it should be considered concrete news, but it sounds like a promising development for Rozier.

Mike Brown Getting Second Interview For Knicks Head Coaching Job

June 30th, 2025 at 4:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Knicks, who are still looking to fill their head coaching position, are bringing back Mike Brown for a second interview, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post reports. He’s the first candidate to get a follow-up interview but there could be more, Bondy adds.

He’s considered a “strong candidate” to get the job, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link), who confirms that Brown is receiving a second interview.

Taylor Jenkins, Micah Nori and James Borrego are also known to have interviewed for the head coaching position. Jenkins was let go by the Grizzlies late in the regular season. Nori is one of the Timberwolves top assistants, while Borrego is New Orleans’ associate head coach after a stint as the Hornets head coach.

Brown, who was fired by the Kings this past season, has been a head coach as far back as 2005, when Cleveland hired him. He had two head coaching stints with the Cavaliers, sandwiching a season with the Lakers. Brown was one of Steve Kerr’s top assistants with Golden State from 2016-22 before Sacramento hired him as its head coach.

The Kings had a 13-18 record when Brown was dismissed but the move didn’t produce the desired result, as Sacramento finished with a 40-42 mark.

The Knicks were rebuffed by numerous teams to interview their current coaches after they fired Tom Thibodeau despite reaching the Eastern Conference Finals.

Brown reportedly has a close relationship with Knicks executive William Wesley, Bondy notes.

Knicks Among Teams With Interest In Russell Westbrook

June 30th, 2025 at 2:43pm CST by Rory Maher

The Knicks are a possible suitor for Russell Westbrook with free agency drawing near, report Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).

The Kings are also rumored to be interested in the three-time scoring champion, the authors note, and a potential reunion with the Nuggets remains in play.

Westbrook, who played a significant role with Denver this past season, is currently recovering from a procedure to repair multiple ligament tears in his right hand. The 36-year-old opted out of his $3.47MM player option earlier this month, making him an unrestricted free agent.

New York is expected to kick the tires on Tyus Jones as well, The Stein Line duo confirm. Ian Begley of SNY.tv reported earlier today that Jones could be a target for the Knicks.

Generally speaking, the Knicks, Pelicans and Timberwolves are among an “ever-growing list” of teams looking to acquire veteran backcourt help, according to Stein and Fischer.

Jazz, Jordan Clarkson Agree To Contract Buyout

June 30th, 2025 at 1:52pm CST by Rory Maher

Veteran guard Jordan Clarkson is finalizing a buyout agreement with the Jazz, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

According to Charania, Clarkson plans to prioritize contenders when he becomes a free agent, which will occur two days after he’s officially released by Utah. “Multiple playoff teams” are expected to be interested in the 33-year-old, Charania adds.

Clarkson was on an expiring contract that will pay him approximately $14.3MM in 2025/26. It remains to be seen how much of that he’ll be giving back, but the Jazz could have about $30MM in breathing room beneath the luxury tax line to make further moves, notes Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (via Twitter).

The Knicks are a team to monitor for Clarkson, according to Steve Popper of Newsday (Twitter link), who says New York has expressed a level of interest in the former Sixth Man of the Year winner in prior trade talks.

Multiple recent reports indicated that Utah was looking to find a trade partner to take on Clarkson’s contract, but the team was unable to find a deal to its liking.

A former second-round pick (46th overall in 2014), Clarkson has spent the past five-and-a-half years with the Jazz after previous stops with the Lakers and Cavaliers. He’s known for providing instant offense off the bench, but appeared in a career-low 37 games last season due to a left foot injury (Utah was also trying to improve its lottery standing).

Overall, Clarkson averaged 16.2 points, 3.7 assists and 3.2 rebounds in his 37 appearances (26.0 minutes per contest). His shooting slash line was .408/.362/.797.

The Jazz clearly plan to give major backcourt minutes to their recent draft picks for the upcoming season, having traded Collin Sexton to Charlotte for Jusuf Nurkic. They’re also waiving Johnny Juzang and, once the buyout is complete, Clarkson.

Free Agency Notes: Rockets, Ty. Jones, Heat, Raptors, More

June 30th, 2025 at 1:07pm CST by Rory Maher

The Rockets are diligently working secure meetings with Dorian Finney-Smith, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard when free agency gets underway at 5:00 pm CT, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Houston is viewed as the frontrunner to land Finney-Smith after the veteran forward declined his $15.4MM player option and didn’t immediately work out a new deal with the Lakers. Marc Stein has reported multiple times that the Rockets are prepared to offer the 32-year-old a four-year deal worth most of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.

Alexander-Walker, meanwhile, is expected to leave Minnesota after the Timberwolves agreed to lucrative new contracts with Naz Reid and Julius Randle. The Hawks have been rumored as the favorite to acquire the versatile guard, but several teams are said to be interested in his services.

Atlanta is also rumored to have interest in Kennard, who is the third-most accurate three-point shooter in NBA history at 43.8%. He has spent the past two-plus seasons in Memphis, but is expected to leave the Grizzlies in free agency.

Here are a few more free agency-related notes and rumors:

The Knicks could be a suitor for point guard Tyus Jones, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter video link). “Tyus Jones is a name that I’m keeping an eye on,” Begley said. “Last summer, there was mutual interest…Jones was even willing to take a pay cut to come to New York. He ended up choosing Phoenix thinking it would be a very good situation for him — didn’t work out, so he’s back on the market.” New York can likely only offer the taxpayer mid-level exception or the veteran’s minimum, Begley notes.
The Magic also expressed prior interest in Tyus Jones and he could be a good fit with Orlando depending on how much money he’s seeking in free agency, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic. If it’s not Jones, the Magic will likely look to add a different veteran point guard to improve their shooting and offense, Robbins writes.
Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald released a guide for some of the options the Heat could explore in free agency. According to Chiang, guard Dru Smith is expected to return to Miami on a two-way deal after he was issued a two-way qualifying offer, but he has yet to accept that QO. Smith was on the verge of being promoted to a standard contract last season before suffering a torn Achilles tendon in late December.
As of now, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca expects the Raptors to be “fairly quiet” in free agency (Twitter link). Toronto will likely fill out the end of its roster with minimum-salary deals. A veteran extension for starting center Jakob Poeltl remains a possibility as well, Grange adds.
Zach Kram of ESPN.com lists seven “underrated players” who are about to hit the open market, including Chris Boucher, De’Anthony Melton and Gary Trent Jr.

Scotto’s Latest: Alexander-Walker, Richards, Capela, Kennard, Shamet

June 30th, 2025 at 10:34am CST by Arthur Hill

Echoing multiple reports, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype confirms that the Hawks and Pistons are considered to be the front-runners for Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, but he lists other contenders as well. League sources tell Scotto that the Clippers and Raptors remain in pursuit of Alexander-Walker along with other teams. He adds that the Magic were also interested before trading for Desmond Bane.

Toronto may be a surprise considering its position near the bottom of the standings this year, but the Raptors are reportedly determined to make a quick turnaround. Scotto notes that Alexander-Walker is a Toronto native and the franchise has a history of bringing in Canadian players, with four on the roster this season.

Scotto talked with several executives around the league who expect Alexander-Walker to sign for at least the $14.1MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception. League sources told Scotto they don’t expect him to return to the Wolves after they reached new deals with Naz Reid and Julius Randle.

Scotto shares more rumors as the start of free agency draws near:

Center Nick Richards appears to be a trade candidate after the Suns drafted Khaman Maluach and agreed to acquire Mark Williams from Charlotte. Richards’ $5MM contract for next season became fully guaranteed on Sunday, and Scotto hears from league sources that the Knicks, Pacers and Lakers are among the teams with interest.
Clint Capela isn’t expected to return to the Hawks in the wake of the Kristaps Porzingis deal, and Scotto lists the Clippers, Lakers and Spurs as teams to watch for the free agent center.
Sources tell Scotto that Luke Kennard is likely to move on from the Grizzlies. The 29-year-old guard is one of the league’s top three-point shooters.
The Knicks would like to keep free agent guard Landry Shamet, but he’s being eyed by several contending teams, Scotto adds.

Knicks Exercising Hukporti’s Option, Declining Tucker’s

June 29th, 2025 at 3:51pm CST by Rory Maher

The Knicks are exercising their 2025/26 team option on Ariel Hukporti, but are declining their option on P.J. Tucker, league sources tell Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link).

Hukporti’s option is worth just under $2MM and his salary for next season will remain non-guaranteed. Tucker’s was worth about $3.5MM and also would have been non-guaranteed had it been exercised.

According to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (Twitter link), the Knicks are also issuing a two-way qualifying offer to Kevin McCullar, making him a restricted free agent.

A 23-year-old center from Germany, Hukporti was the 58th pick of last year’s draft. He battled injuries during his rookie season, appearing in 25 regular season games with averages of 1.9 points and 2.0 rebounds in 8.7 minutes per contest.

Although he barely played for New York after signing at the end of last season and is now 40 years old, it’s technically possible that Tucker could re-sign with the Knicks on a new non-guaranteed contract for the veteran’s minimum. That would substantially lower his cap hit and actually pay him a little more money while maintaining roster flexibility for the Knicks, who reportedly valued Tucker’s leadership in the locker room.

McCullar was also a second-round pick last year, having been selected No. 56 overall. He was injured to open his rookie campaign and only made four NBA appearances for a total of 29 minutes, with the majority of that playing time coming in the regular season finale.

Atlantic Notes: Nets Draft, Celtics, Knicks, Broome

June 28th, 2025 at 11:50am CST by Earnest Marshall

The Nets‘ draft left fans with more questions than answers after they spent an NBA record five first-round picks in the same class, with the talents of some selections overlapping. Still, as Lucas Kaplan of NetsDaily writes, one thing is for certain: the Nets made sure to value what they saw as high-character players during this process.

“I loved just how hard a worker he is,” general manager Sean Marks said of No. 8 overall pick Egor Demin. “I saw him up close and personal in his individual workouts and other workouts that we had here with the group, and was able to compare what we saw during the season to what we saw now, and the uptick and the improvement that we saw was pretty outstanding. So I know he’s a class act of a young man, but he’s also a real worker, and that’s exciting for me, when the guy’s going to put in the due diligence.”

Brooklyn’s brass didn’t see the class as overlapping as much as outsiders did. In particular, Marks expressed that Demin and No. 19 overall pick Nolan Traore could coexist.

“I think we’d love to see both of them play together, for sure,” Marks said of Demin and Traore. “I think we always look at it a little bit of best player available at that particular time … But, you know, I think we’ve got to be very careful penciling a player into being a certain position, or playing a certain way when they’re 19 years old.”

In a subscriber-only story covering similar ground, Brian Lewis of The New York Post describes Marks’ type as quick-processing, ball-moving play-makers.

“Where we’re going with this is, we’re trying to find a brand of basketball that not only we think translates to a competitive brand out there and it’s going to fit with the Brooklyn community,” Marks said, “But it’s also where the NBA is going: guys who can play multiple positions, guard multiple positions and make it hard on the defense.”

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

The Celtics elected to trade back from No. 32 in the draft to obtain the Nos. 46 and 57 selections as well as two future second-round picks. “All the time we’re looking for the ability to get more assets in the future and still get a bunch of good players,” vice president of basketball operations Mike Zarren said in explaining the decision, per MassLive’s Brian Robb. “We felt pretty confident that there’d be guys we liked lower in the draft and we had the ability to add a couple of really good future draft picks in addition to getting those guys. So, that’s what we did.”
While there is still uncertainty about where the Knicks stand in their head coaching search, Ian Begley of SNY reports Mike Brown made a strong impression and has garnered internal support. In the same story, Begley explores where the Knicks standing entering free agency, noting that they’ll have the taxpayer mid-level exception worth up to $5.7MM to offer free agents, as well as the veteran’s minimum.
By using a second-round pick to draft Johni Broome out of Auburn, the Sixers made a bet on a player who has been exceptional at every level of basketball he’s played, and one who should be a strong culture fit in Philadelphia, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes (subscriber link). “I would say my will to win and hating to lose,” Broome said of his biggest strength. “When you hate losing, you do whatever it takes. … If that’s owning up to your mistake or calling out one of your teammates’ mistakes, I think that’s what helps winning, when everybody’s bought in and everybody’s on the same page of wanting to win. I think that’s just where it comes from.”

And-Ones: 2025 Draft Grades, 2026 Class, France, Gabriel

June 28th, 2025 at 10:04am CST by Earnest Marshall

Five teams earned ‘A’ grades on Sam Vecenie’s post-draft report card for The Athletic, including four teams who had picks in the top six. The fifth team to earn an A was the Hawks, primarily for landing an unprotected 2026 first-round pick from the Pelicans to drop 10 spots in the middle of the first round.

Another 18 teams earned ‘B-‘ to ‘B+’ grades, meaning they mostly met or exceeded the value expected at their respective draft slots. Multiple clubs who only had second-round picks, like the Cavaliers and Warriors, found themselves in this tier. A few teams who ended up landing players who slid from pre-draft projections also ended up in this group, with the Jazz getting Ace Bailey at No. 5, the Heat landing Kasparas Jakucionis at No. 20 and the Thunder getting Thomas Sorber at No. 15.

That left five teams to earn a mark of ‘C’ or lower from Vecenie (Houston and Denver did not make any selections). The Pelicans were marked down for the haul they gave up to move up from No. 23 to No. 13 and select Derik Queen. The Nets were questioned for making three selections – Egor Demin, Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf – with positional overlap, while the Knicks earned a middling grade for selecting a stash player who may not make it to the league.

We have more from around the basketball world:

The 2026 draft looks to be loaded on paper, with a strong blend of returners who would have been drafted this year and high-level incoming talent. In ESPN’s first full 2026 mock draft, Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo have Darryn Peterson of Kansas as the No. 1 overall pick. A.J. Dybantsa (BYU), Cameron Boozer (Duke), Nate Ament (Tennessee) and Mikel Brown Jr. (Louisville) round out their top five. Among returning college players, Jayden Quaintance (No. 6, Kentucky) and Yaxel Lendeborg (No. 14, Michigan) are the highest-ranking.
Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report‘s top three looks identical to ESPN’s, but he has Arizona’s Koa Peat at No. 4 in his first 2026 mock draft. Another significant difference between the two boards is Baylor wing Tounde Yessoufou‘s spot — Wasserman has him at No. 6, but ESPN places him at No. 23.
France has named its 18-man preliminary roster for EuroBasket 2025, per the team (Twitter link). Bilal Coulibaly, Moussa Diabate, Ousmane Dieng, Zaccharie Risacher, Alex Sarr and Guerschon Yabusele are the current NBA players on the roster. Former NBAers on the team include Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Frank Ntilikina and Theo Maledon, among others.
Former NBA player Wenyen Gabriel is leaving Panathinaikos to sign with Bayern Munich in Germany, according to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews. Gabriel played his first EuroLeague season in 2024/25, averaging 6.0 points per game, and will remain in the league by signing with Bayern. The 6’9″ big man played 150 NBA games from 2019-24 across stints with the Lakers, Pelicans, Trail Blazers, Kings and others. He averaged 4.4 PPG and 3.4 RPG for his career.

Knicks To Sign Dink Pate

June 27th, 2025 at 12:53pm CST by Arthur Hill

G League guard Dink Pate has reached an agreement with the Knicks, sources tell Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). No details are provided, but it appears likely to be an Exhibit 10 deal.

Pate, 19, played this season with the Mexico City Capitanes, averaging 10.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 34 games. He was selected to participate in this year’s Next Up event at All-Star Weekend.

Pate was the fourth-best player remaining among undrafted free agents, according to ESPN’s big board. He was listed as the 71st-best draft prospect by Sam Vecenie of The Athletic.

A five-star player coming out of high school, Pate opted to sign a two-year deal with G League Ignite rather than play college basketball. When the Ignite shut down after last season, he tried to enter to the 2024 NBA draft but was denied a waiver due to his age.

Pate will join the Knicks next month for the Las Vegas Summer League, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link).