Well, at some level you have to give it to Knicks. They are clearly starting the NBA free agent from now on. And they are clearly not fooled by past failures that did nothing remarkable after the basketball bazaar went live.
They now officially have one heart:
Jalen or nothing.
Branson or bust.
And let's be completely clear about something. Whenever the NBA finally declares when the free agent start gate will officially open, it's probably next Thursday at 6 pm. — Knicks must successfully protect the Mavericks point guard signature at the bottom of the contract. It is mandatory. It is essential.
Must occur.
For some time on Thursday, Knicks reportedly worked hard after another plan to find a way to land Jaden Ivey at Purdue University. Even after Pistons chose ivy at number 5, Hoop's hot stove was infiltrated that Knicks wanted to trade with Detroit. A package that seduces Pistons.
Detroit blamed (and suddenly the most attractive young in the league) It became one of the rosters). At that time, Leon Rose went to work. He traded back with Oklahoma Cityin the first round ofand added several future No. 1 picks. He sent Kemba Walker's salary to Pistons with Pick. And that made Knicks' intentions very clear.
Rose likes to find the gems hidden behind the drafts — as an example, Immanuel Quickley and Quentin Grimes from the last two drafts — but what makes Rose so cute about this? It was a long time ago. This is the third year of his tenure, and if Knicks is better than when he arrived, he will never approach making a dent at the Eastern Conference.
Splash is required.
Branson is a splash and, more importantly, brings youth and stability to the point guard position that Knicks has long coveted. They started this process slowly, hiring Jalen's father Rick (formerly Knick) from Camden High and installing him on Tom Thibodeau's staff. Both Rose and Tibodo have a long-standing relationship with Elder Branson (Rose's son Sam is Branson's agent), but it's hard to believe that employment doesn't want to bring secondary benefits. Hmm.
By reducing Walker's salary and not receiving the first round of 2022 picks, Knicks predicts that the 2022-23 limit will be about $ 18 million below. They will probably try to offload another veteran in the next few days. That should be enough to make a competitive offer to Branson, who blossomed this year with the Dallas team in the finals of the Western Conference, before finally bowing to the champion Warriors.
However, the competitiveness is not sufficient. You can't finish second here.
"What Knicks needs most is an undisputed leader on the floor and a classic point guard," Jeff Van Gundy meditated last month. "It should be prioritized."
It's clearly a monster deal that Knicks prepares for Branson, big enough to accomplish two things. Flux; More importantly, to get as close to the poison trade as possible to keep Dallas owner Mark Cuban (emphasizing that he wants to keep Branson) away.
But it happens, it must happen. Very much of Rose's reliability and feasibility are currently on the griddle. If Branson is still a resident of Texas by this time next week, Rose basically takes a pass on Draft Day and sees all of the meeting's enemies take a few more steps beyond them. And prepare Knicks for the miserable 2022 23.
Knicks has been a terrible summer closer for years. It's a tradition that must be done now. Jalen Brunson will not let Knicks play in the finals next year. But he's a great player in an important position, bringing Knicks a few steps closer to the sun. Still, he has to get here first. And Leon Rose is in time.
