Blazers’ Dundon Reportedly Unfazed By Criticism Over Spending Cuts
It has been less than a month since Tom Dundon officially took over as the Trail Blazers‘ controlling owner, but several reports in recent weeks have suggested he’s taking a penny-pinching approach to the role.
The Blazers were reportedly the only team not to bring their two-way players on the road for their first-round series; they have begun requiring support staffers to check out of their hotel rooms early in order to avoid incurring late check-out fees; and they reportedly want to pay their next permanent head coach a bargain-basement rate.
Bill Oram of The Oregonian (subscriber link) shares a few more details on the cost-cutting measures happening in Portland, writing that the team reduced the number of people in its traveling party for last week’s play-in game in Phoenix and the first-round series in San Antonio, leaving behind its digital reporter and award-winning team photographer, among others. The Blazers also haven’t sent a scout to the Timberwolves/Nuggets games despite the fact that they would face the winner of that series if they upset San Antonio, Oram adds.
According to Jason Quick of The Athletic, interim head coach Tiago Splitter expressed frustration to a confidant last Tuesday when the team’s masseuse, having had to leave her hotel room to avoid a late check-out fee, had nowhere to provide players with treatment ahead of that night’s play-in game in Phoenix.
As Quick explains, all the changes stem from an edict that Dundon gave to Blazers management when he assumed control of the franchise.
“The directive was, ‘Why are we wasting money? Let’s think about this prudently,'” a team source told Quick. “Essentially he was saying, ‘Let’s make things like (the traveling party) be about who needed to be there, not it-would-be-nice-if-they-come.'”
According to Quick and Oram, the Blazers spent lavishly on various non-essential perks under the former ownership of the late Paul Allen, who was one of the richest men in the world. While it may be true that the organization became a “bloated enterprise” under Allen, it seems as if Dundon is determined to over-correct in the other direction, Oram writes, making the team the NBA’s “most spendthrift organization.”
“I think (Dundon) thinks this is just the beginning,” a team source told The Athletic. “I think he thinks this is just what taking over franchises is, where you have to change things. He said he went through a lot of rough times (with the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes) … but ultimately all people care about now is winning. So what I think is accurate is him being cheap as it relates to stuff that in his mind does not impact player performance.”
Both Quick and Oram agree that Dundon has a reputation for cutting costs in other areas so that he can invest more money in players and the on-court product, with Quick suggesting that the new Blazers owner is prepared to go into luxury tax territory next season if it’s necessary to land an impact player.
However, Oram questions whether on-court and off-court spending can really be siloed off from one another, observing that spending reductions in one area will be felt in another, including the locker room. And while he may be more willing to spend on talent, Dundon runs the risk of alienating top players, coaches, and other personnel if he isn’t willing to invest in his team’s infrastructure, one league source points out to Quick.
“He’s already established that he’s very cheap,” that source said. “And I know he doesn’t love Oregon, and is concerned that it is a state that can’t draw free agents. Well, with all due respect, you’re not helping the cause of drawing free agents when you treat everyone like s–t there.”
Multiple sources who spoke to Quick pushed back on a recent report stating that Dundon only wants to pay his head coach a salary in the $1-1.5MM range, with one team source stating that’s “just not true” and that the new owner is focused on finding the “best person” for the job. Still, it remains to be seen whether the Blazers will be willing to pay the going rate for that “best” candidate.
Oram (Twitter links) hears that the team isn’t solely shopping in the bargain aisle and did want to touch base with Michael Malone but would have been looking to pay him about half of what he eventually got from UNC.
According to Oram, Malone declined to talk to the Blazers because their job isn’t technically even open at this point. Splitter has done an admirable job filling in for Chauncey Billups after Billups’ October arrest, and while a team source insists that Splitter will be the “leading candidate” in the search, Dundon has cast a wide net in searching for potential alternatives, according to Quick, who names Josh Schertz (St. Louis University), Ben McCollum (Iowa), and Tom Thibodeau as coaches the Blazers have reached out to, though he notes that Thibodeau is no longer a candidate.
Those leaks have put Splitter in an awkward position as he attempts to lead the Blazers to their first playoff series victory since 2019.
“The amount of disrespect (toward Splitter) that’s going on is beyond description,” one league source told The Athletic. “It’s like, every day a new name is coming up. It’s the most vicious thing I’ve encountered in 30-plus years.”
“This is what Tom is good at — talking to 100 people and getting data,” a Blazers source said to Quick. “What he is learning quickly is that unlike hockey — where nobody cares — in basketball if you talk to 100 people, 70 will tell people.”
As bad as the PR around Dundon has been so far, several of his longtime associates tell Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link) that the public criticism won’t faze him at all. Quick has heard a similar sentiment from his own sources.
“I ought to tell you, I don’t think he gives a rat’s ass what is said about him,” a league source told The Athletic. “Most owners care. They insulate themselves because they care very much about their image and profile. He doesn’t give a f–k. He doesn’t even flinch with this stuff.”
“His heart is in the right place,” a team source insisted to Quick. “He is going to build this thing into a winner, I know it. And I know three years from now, or five years from now, people are going to love it. But over the next 12 months, they are going to hate it.”
Numerous Teams Considering Coaching Changes
The NBA’s coaching carousel has already started spinning with Doc Rivers‘ decision to step down from the Bucks, and Michael Scotto of HoopsHype suggests it could be an active offseason throughout the league on that front.
Milwaukee has a potential replacement on hand in lead assistant Darvin Ham, but sources tell Scotto the Pelicans could also have interest in Ham if they decide not to retain interim head coach James Borrego, echoing recent reporting from Jake Fischer.
Former Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins may be the top name on the market and is expected to draw interest from the Bucks, Scotto confirms. Jenkins previously served as an assistant under Mike Budenholzer in Milwaukee.
Scotto states that Borrego could also emerge as a candidate for the Bucks if New Orleans decides to move on, noting that he interviewed with the organization before it hired Adrian Griffin in 2023.
Scotto shares more coaching and front office rumors from around the NBA:
- The Bulls are hoping to hold onto coach Billy Donovan after upending their front office last week. Scotto believes Donovan may have some interest in taking over the Magic if they decide to fire Jamahl Mosley, pointing out that Orlando hired Donovan in 2007 before he changed his mind a few days later and decided to remain at Florida. Scotto cites Timberwolves general manager Matt Lloyd as a potential front office addition in Chicago, noting that Lloyd began his career with the Bulls. He also points to CAA’s Austin Brown as a possibility if the organization wants to make a run at one of the top agents in the business.
- Jenkins and Tom Thibodeau could also be options for the Magic if they make a coaching move, according to Scotto. Borrego, a former assistant in Orlando, may emerge as another possibility. Sources tell Scotto that Michael Malone had been considered throughout the league as a potential candidate for the Magic before he accepted a job with North Carolina.
- The Pelicans will consider keeping Borrego, but sources tell Scotto that Ham and Kevin Ollie will also be in the mix, while Mosley has “several admirers” in New Orleans and could be among the leading candidates for the position if he becomes available. Scotto also points out that Ham worked with Pelicans executive vice president of basketball 0perations Joe Dumars for two years in Detroit, while Ollie interviewed for the head coaching job when New Orleans general manager Troy Weaver was running the Pistons.
- Steve Kerr and the Warriors will discuss their future this summer, Scotto hears. Stephen Curry remains a huge advocate for Kerr and wants them to finish their careers together, but Kerr is the league’s highest-paid coach and there are concerns about burn-out after a difficult season.
- Interim head coach Tiago Splitter will be a candidate to remain with the Trail Blazers after leading the team to the eighth seed in the West, but several top assistant coaches throughout the league and some college coaches will also be considered, sources tell Scotto.
- Wizards coach Brian Keefe still has strong support from his front office, but Scotto’s sources say his future is “undecided” as the organization hopes to transform into a playoff contender next season.
- The Hawks‘ late-season surge could result in an extension for coach Quin Snyder, according to Scotto.
And-Ones: Thibodeau, Dunk Contest, McClung, Buzelis, More
Tom Thibodeau isn’t coaching anywhere this season after being let go by the Knicks during the offseason, but the 68-year-old isn’t planning to transition into retirement. Appearing on SiriusXM NBA Radio on Monday, Thibodeau told Frank Isola of The Starting Lineup that he’d like to coach again.
“I love the game,” Thibodeau said (Twitter link via Steve Popper of Newsday). “Obviously I’m preparing for the next opportunity. So hopefully I’ll be ready for it.”
This is only the third season since 2010 that Thibodeau hasn’t been the head coach of an NBA team. He coached the Bulls from 2010-15, sat out the 2015/16 season, coached the Timberwolves from 2017-19, and sat out in ’19/20 before being hired by the Knicks in 2020. That pattern suggests he’ll be on the lookout for a new head coaching job this spring.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Three-time slam dunk contest champion Mac McClung won’t be returning to defend his crown in 2026, his father Marcus McClung confirmed to Anthony Olivieri of ESPN. “Not going to be four in a row,” Marcus said in a text message. “Not one reason that I could say that was the main reason. In my opinion it is more like a bunch of reasons that just pointed to him not doing it.” The 27-year-old guard, who is playing for the Windy City Bulls this season, tweeted, “But since we prepared for it…I’ll be releasing the dunks we came up with after the contest.”
- Bulls forward Matas Buzelis was invited back to the dunk contest after taking part last season, but turned down the invitation, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “They did ask me, but unfortunately I’m going to decline this year,” Buzelis said. “I’m trying to listen to my body and this stretch of games coming up is going to be very important for us. Hopefully I get invited another year because I would love to do it. … It’s a lot of work to prepare for the dunk contest and I didn’t even prepare as well as I should have last year. Probably had two practices to practice my dunks. It takes a toll on your body.”
- Keith Smith of Spotrac previews the trade deadline for the 15 teams in the Eastern Conference, laying out each club’s position relative to the cap, tax, and apron levels, its notable trade exceptions and tradable draft picks, a potential deadline strategy, and the most likely player to be moved.
- John Hollinger of The Athletic takes a closer look at Illinois guard Keaton Wagler, writing that a breakout freshman year has turned Wagler from an unheralded recruit into a surefire 2026 lottery pick.
Knicks’ Dolan Talks Expectations, Thibodeau, Roster, More
Owner James Dolan publicly discussed the Knicks with a media member for the first time in nearly three years on Monday during an interview with WFAN’s Craig Carton, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. The 70-year-old made it clear he has high expectations for the team.
“We want to get to the [NBA] Finals. And we should win the Finals,” Dolan said. “This is sports and anything can happen. But getting to the Finals, we absolutely got to do.”
New York made the Eastern Conference Finals last season for the first time in 25 years and promptly fired Tom Thibodeau. Dolan acknowledged the team’s former head coach played an important role in returning the Knicks to prominence, but stood by the decision.
“The team is really built on the shoulders of Tom Thibodeau. He built that core,” Dolan said. “We went as far as we did last year. So you really got to take your hat off to Tom. And the job that he did.
“But we did come to the conclusion that we had an idea how we wanted to organize the team. And that meant we needed to evolve. Actually beyond the old traditional coaching formulas. And we tried to work that with Tom. It really wasn’t his thing.”
According to Vincent Goodwill of ESPN, Dolan said he and president of basketball operations Leon Rose talked to Thibodeau multiple times about their desire to develop the team’s young players and bench unit so the starters weren’t worn down. Still, Dolan endorsed Thibodeau to coach another team.
“I won’t say you can’t win a title with Tom Thibodeau; I don’t know that’s true,” Dolan said. “But if you want to build a long-term, competitive, compete for the [title], you need someone who’s much more of a collaborator. But still, Tom was a great coach. He should coach in the NBA again.”
The 23-13 Knicks entered Monday’s game in Detroit having lost three straight games, a skid that extended to four when they were blown out by the top-seeded Pistons. But Dolan believes in the current roster and disputed an ESPN report that said the team discussed a trade involving Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo over the summer.
“We love our team right now. They have chemistry, they all like each other. I’ve never seen a locker room more copacetic,” Dolan said, per Bondy. “There’s a lot of energy there. Leon can always overrule me. But I don’t see us making a big change. Because we got to keep building up this group. This group can win a championship. I believe that.”
Dolan is optimistic the returns of Josh Hart and Landry Shamet will help lift the team out of its current slump, Goodwill notes. Both players are expected to be back in the next week or so.
“Look how far we got with our group last year and look at who was playing and who wasn’t,” Dolan said. “We’re going into the second half of the season, Josh is still out and Landry is coming back. We got depth. We stay healthy, we’ll go into the playoffs in much better condition than last year.”
The Knicks won the NBA Cup last month. Dolan was asked about the decision not to raise a banner for that title at Madison Square Garden, as Christian Arnold of The New York Post relays.
“We are going to raise the banner,” Dolan said. “We’re going to raise the NBA championship banner. That’s the banner we want to raise. We want an NBA championship, we don’t want some consolation prize.”
Pelicans Notes: Borrego, Green, Dumars, Poole, Coaching Search
The Pelicans had a new head coach for Sunday’s game against Golden State, but the result was familiar, writes Les East of NOLA.com. Playing its first game under James Borrego, who was promoted after Willie Green was fired on Saturday, New Orleans suffered its fifth straight loss and fell to 2-11 on the season.
“We’ve got a lot to do,” Borrego said. “The beauty of this game is you come back to work the next day. … It doesn’t get any easier. We’ve got another juggernaut coming in.”
He was referring to Monday’s contest against 13-1 Oklahoma City, which provides another tough challenge for a team badly in need of wins. Borrego made his first lineup change on Sunday, giving a first career start to rookie big man Derik Queen, who finished with nine points, seven rebounds and six assists in 24-plus minutes. The Pelicans got balanced scoring with four players in double figures, but committed 20 turnovers that resulted in 27 Warriors points.
“There were costly, careless turnovers in transition,” Borrego said. “We’ve got to have more poise. There’s a balance between playing fast and frenetic and playing with poise. We’ve got to be opportunistic (in transition).”
There’s more from New Orleans:
- There was surprise around the league that Green wasn’t fired sooner considering the Pelicans’ poor start, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Scotto hears that executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars was supportive of Green early in the season, but conveyed a constant message that the team needed to improve. Sources tell Scotto that offseason addition Jordan Poole was upset after being removed from the starting lineup on October 29, and Green’s coaching style had become “stale” with Trey Murphy III. Scotto adds that some players and other members of the organization believed Green didn’t do enough to hold Zion Williamson accountable.
- Dumars held a meeting with his staff this summer where he talked about emphasizing defense, toughness, high basketball IQ and a high motor, then completed a trade an hour later for Poole, who doesn’t fit that description, sources tell Scotto. Poole’s salary of $31.8MM this season and $34MM in 2026/27 was considered “a tough contract to move” by rival executives, Scotto adds. That trade and the deal sending an unprotected 2026 first-rounder to Atlanta in exchange for Queen were pushed by senior vice president of basketball operations Troy Weaver, Dumars’ long-time associate, Scotto reports.
- Weaver is also a strong supporter of Kevin Ollie, who has been mentioned as a possibility to eventually take over as head coach, Scotto adds. Scotto identifies Tom Thibodeau, Michael Malone and Taylor Jenkins as free agent coaches who might interest the Pelicans, but speculates that their “price tags could be too rich” for the team. In his latest Substack column (subscription required), Marc Stein of The Stein Line points to Bucks assistant Darvin Ham as a name to watch in the coaching search.
Knicks Notes: Coaching Change, Towns, Hart, Robinson
After they got off to a 2-3 start, including a 10-point loss at Chicago on Friday, Steve Popper of Newsday wonders whether the Knicks‘ offseason coaching change was necessary or if they were trying to fix something that wasn’t broken.
Management decided to replace Tom Thibodeau after he took New York to the conference finals last season and brought in Mike Brown, who promised to give more minutes to bench players and institute an up-tempo style. Popper points out that the Knicks still have a roster filled with players who were acquired to fit Thibodeau’s slower-paced, defensive-minded approach. When they faced the Bulls, who are built for a faster style of play, they gave up 135 points.
Popper states that the adjustment has been particularly difficult for Karl-Anthony Towns, who is projected to spend more time at power forward after primarily being used as a center last season. Popper believes Towns is miscast by being asked to run the floor in transition like a wing.
Towns didn’t address his individual role after Friday’s loss, but his comments reflected the overall frustration of the team.
“Just obviously we’re not happy,” he said. “We had three winnable games and we didn’t do enough to close the game out. For someone like us, that was our identity last year — close games we usually win. So obviously it’s a different feeling not being able to close the games out.”
There’s more on the Knicks:
- Josh Hart told Brown that he doesn’t want to move back and forth between starting and sixth-man duties, so he’s now a full-time reserve, Popper adds in the same piece. Hart said even though it was his idea, there might be times that he struggles with not being a starter. “I think throughout the season it’ll be a battle of, you know, kind of fighting the egotistical view of it,” he said. “I think I did have a good year last year. And you know, with a different role, now it’s totally different. I think the biggest thing, I’ve had to sacrifice my whole career. I talked about it the whole time last year. You know, that’s something that I try to do every year and try to make sure whether I’ve got to sacrifice or not, make the team the best that we can be. So it’s never like, OK cool and it’s seamless. There’s going to be days where I’m just like, ‘Man, that’s some bull.’ You know what I mean? But it’ll be a constant thing of fighting that, but making sure I know that this is what’s best for the team and locking in on that.”
- Hart told reporters on Friday that he’s not considering another surgical procedure for an injured finger on his shooting hand, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Hart wants to avoid a prolonged recovery that could sideline him for several months.
- Brown was sharply critical of the Knicks’ defense following the loss to Chicago, relays Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News. The Bulls scored 72 points in the first half and finished the game with six players in double figures. “Our defense tonight was nonexistent and it starts with guarding the basketball,” Brown said. “We have to be better guarding the basketball. And it has to be with a sense of physicality because if we don’t, teams are gonna do exactly what Chicago did tonight on the offensive end of the floor.”
- After missing four games due to left ankle injury maintenance, Mitchell Robinson made his season debut on Friday, posting four points and 11 rebounds in 20 minutes. He’s being listed as questionable for Sunday’s rematch with the Bulls in New York, according to James L. Edwards of The Athletic (Twitter link).
New York Notes: Robinson, Thibodeau, Demin, Thomas
The Knicks are facing the ghosts of injuries past as recently anointed starting center Mitchell Robinson opens the season inactive due to load management, writes Kristian Winfield for the New York Daily News.
Winfield notes that there’s no official timetable for Robinson’s season debut, a dissatisfying data point in a confusing saga that began when Robinson sat out the second half of the team’s October 9 preseason game after playing the first half. According to head coach Mike Brown, that uncertainty may not be resolved in the near future.
“There may be a stretch of five games where we may sit him. There may be a stretch of two games where we may sit him,” Brown said. “There’s no definition of what load management is. You just go along … myself and the medical team and the front office will go along as we see fit, and we’ll decide if we want to sit him during practice or we want to sit him in a game. It’s as simple as that.”
Stefan Bondy of the New York Post also expresses some confusion regarding Robinson’s status, writing that he doesn’t understand why the big man is sitting out on opening night if he didn’t suffer some sort of injury or setback during the preseason. Bondy also relays Brown’s explanation for Robinson missing the team’s season opener.
“Just because he might be able to play tonight, he might be able to practice today, that doesn’t necessarily mean I’m gonna play him or I’m gonna practice him,” Brown said.
We have more from around the world of New York basketball:
- The Knicks‘ decision to part ways with head coach Tom Thibodeau this summer after one of their most successful seasons in recent memory came down to a philosophical misalignment with certain members of the front office, writes Ian O’Connor for The Athletic, who says those front office executives were focused far more on Thibodeau’s flaws than his strengths. “In their world, the players were 51-0 and Tom was 0-31… He also had a sense of betrayal,” a source close to him said. “When you find out that people you helped either weren’t with you in the end or didn’t fight for you like you fought for them, that stings.”
- Egor Demin was intent on preparing his body for the Nets‘ season as he recovered from plantar fasciitis, writes Peter Botte for the New York Post. Demin has added over 10 pounds of muscle since being drafted and he said the difference is noticeable. “[I wanted] to be able to compete against athletes as we have [in the NBA], so I can be a little bit heavier to be stronger on defense, on offense, to get into the paint, and things like this,” Demin said. “As long as I’m above that [number], it’s good, but not too much [because] I want to still be able to run. But I think I’m in a good balance right now with my weight, muscles and condition.” Demin came off the bench on Wednesday in the Nets’ season opener against the Hornets.
- Cam Thomas will return to free agency in 2026 after accepting his qualifying offer following a lengthy standoff with the Nets this summer. However, he’s not struggling to keep his eye on the ball, literally, as he enters another contract year, writes The New York Post’s Brian Lewis. “I’m not really worried about that. It’ll take care of itself,” Thomas said of his place in Brooklyn and his contract situation going forward. “The main goal is just being on the court and playing, being out there. I love to hoop, I love to play, so that’s really the main thing I’m trying to do this year. Whatever happens, happens. I’ll let that take care of itself.” After a season shortened by injuries, Thomas came into this year slimmed down and ready to take on an even bigger role.
Knicks Notes: Robinson, McBride, Brown, Anunoby
As he enters the final year of his contract, which will pay him a little under $13MM, Knicks center Mitchell Robinson says he doesn’t care if he starts or not in 2025/26, writes Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News.
“Nah. It don’t matter to me at all,” Robinson said on Thursday. “I started before. I came off the bench before. I did great in both. So it’s whatever.”
As Winfield notes, Robinson saw his role reduced after finally returning from ankle surgery last season, but then was moved back into the starting lineup for the last four games of the Eastern Conference Finals against Indiana. New head coach Mike Brown called Robinson a “monster on the glass” but said he has yet to decide if the 7’0″ big man will start or come off the bench.
“Ideally, it would be great to have everybody’s role defined before the first game,” Brown said. “Now, they can change throughout the course of the season, but hopefully going into Game 1, we as coaches — and (new assistant) Billy Lange — get to a point where we have everybody’s role defined. And not only that, but they embrace it so that everybody knows specifically what they need to do.
“We’ve got a lot of guys and we’re a new staff. So if we get a little behind, maybe it doesn’t happen until after the first or second game. I don’t know. But ideally, I’d like to have all that done before game one.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Robinson, who said he added muscle and lost weight over the offseason after starting an organic farm in Nashville, isn’t sure if he’ll be cleared to play back-to-backs to open the season, according to Winfield. One of the NBA’s premier offensive rebounders, Robinson added that he isn’t concerned about potentially being involved in trade rumors ahead of 2026 free agency — he will remain extension-eligible throughout the season. “I’m gonna come out here and play hard still regardless, whether it’s my last (year) or my first (year), just come out here and play hard,” Robinson said. “But at the same time I’m gonna let my agent handle that part of it. I’m just gonna play basketball.”
- Guard Miles McBride has been floated as a possible trade candidate because New York reportedly wants to keep Malcolm Brogdon and Landry Shamet, both of whom are signed to non-guaranteed training camp deals. McBride expressed appreciation for former coach Tom Thibodeau but is looking forward to playing under Brown, tweets James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. “Honestly it was crazy. It was unexpected. All my four years were with Thibs. He did a great job with me and team,” McBride said. “… Coming in with Mike, I’m excited. … He’s been communicating with a lot of guys, allowing people to talk.”
- Forward OG Anunoby just missed out on making the All-Defensive Second Team last season, finishing with the most votes among players who didn’t make the cut. He has loftier goals for ’25/26, as Steve Popper of Newsday writes (subscription required). “For sure, defense, that’s what wins games, championships,” Anunoby said. “So it’s very important to me. Defensive Player of the Year, first-team All-Defense, those are always my goals.” Brown praised Anunoby’s defensive work, Popper adds. “First-team All-Defense,” Brown said. “He is more than capable. Really it’s up to him. That’s how good he is on that end of the floor. He’s a first-team — and I’ve been around those guys. Bruce Bowen. Tim Duncan. I’ve been around a few of them, and he’s right there.”
Knicks Notes: Hart, Towns, Rotation, Brunson, Bridges
Knicks forward Josh Hart underwent a procedure on his right ring finger in July, but he told reporters at the team’s media day on Tuesday that he recently aggravated that finger issue and will likely have to wear a splint this season, as Steve Popper of Newsday tweets.
Hart’s hope is that the splint will suffice for 2025/26 and he’ll be able to address the injury again next summer, tweets James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. While his goal is to be available for the entire season, the 30-year-old acknowledged that if he can’t play like himself as a result of the injury, he may have to address it earlier than the 2026 offseason.
“I hate playing with anything on my hands,” Hart said (Twitter link via Edwards). “It might take a little getting used to. That’s the best scenario (playing with a finger splint).”
Here are a few more highlights from the Knicks’ media day:
- According to Edwards (Twitter link), Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns said today that he didn’t undergo any procedures on his finger or knee during the offseason, contrary to a June report. For what it’s worth, the wording in that ESPN report from June has since been updated to indicate that Towns underwent “treatment” on those injuries, rather than “procedures.”
- Asked today about the team’s lineup and rotation, new Knicks head coach Mike Brown said “it’s too early” to make a final decision on his starting five, adding that he anticipates using a nine- or 10-man rotation (Twitter links via Edwards).
- Multiple Knicks players, including star guard Jalen Brunson, expressed appreciation for former head coach Tom Thibodeau (Twitter link via Edwards). “It’s sad to see a man I’ve known for a long time part ways with this organization,” Brunson said. “He’s meant a lot to me. I’ve expressed that to him publicly and personally. He’s meant a lot to my career.”
- Mikal Bridges signed a four-year extension this offseason that came in about $6MM below his maximum extension. He said on Tuesday that he agreed to sign for $150MM instead of $156MM because he wants to “win bad” and knew it would help the organization if he accepted a little less. “I got a good amount of money,” Bridges said.
Knicks Notes: Position Clashes, Roster, Thibodeau, Dadiet
As the Knicks gear up for training camp, Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscriber link) breaks down the team’s top narratives, position battles, new players, and more.
As Bondy writes, New York currently has enough room below its hard cap to carry a single veteran camp invitee into the regular season, but they’ve signed five to training camp deals. Guards Malcolm Brogdon and Landry Shamet are the leaders in the clubhouse, but guard Garrison Mathews, center Alex Len and wing Matt Ryan all still have a shot, according to Bondy.
While All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns and All-Defensive forwards Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby are all pretty much locked in to starting roles, Bondy posits that guard Josh Hart and big man Mitchell Robinson could both stake a claim to that fifth starting gig.
In another subscriber-only article, Bondy takes a look at the storylines facing each rostered player heading into the season.
There’s more out of New York:
- Knicks players opted not to fight to retain head coach Tom Thibodeau despite a strong 51-31 season and an Eastern Conference Finals berth, Ian Begley said during an appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio (Twitter link). Begley noted that Hart “was very close” with the now-former coach, and suggested that, if Hart or other key players had insisted to management that Thibodeau be retained, he may have stuck around. Hart’s shooting went cold during the playoffs and he was toggled with Robinson for New York’s fifth starting spot. The Knicks ultimately replaced Thibodeau with Mike Brown.
- After they finished as the third seed in the East last year, Malik Smith of The New York Post (subscriber link) expects the Knicks to enjoy a more robust run in 2025/26, thanks to Achilles injuries and roster turnover knocking Boston and Indiana down a peg. As Smith observes, most sportsbooks peg the club to win in the neighborhood of 53 games next season.
- In a reader mailbag, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic says he believes second-year wing Pacome Dadiet, a first-round pick last season, is the player most likely to be traded prior to February’s deadline. Edwards also wonders if New York could expand its rotation to 10 players and takes a look at how Brown can improve the club’s versatility, among other topics.