Knicks Get Mixed Reviews for Big-Time Offseason

The New York Knicks have arguably had one of the most dynamic offseasons of any team in the NBA, making arguably the biggest move in trading for Brooklyn Nets guard Mikal Bridges.

Bridges was dealt for three players and six future draft picks in a king’s ransom from the Nets.

ESPN reporter Tim Bontemps curated a survey asking 18 NBA coaches, scouts and executives about the offseason. The Philadelphia 76ers received eight votes, while the Knicks received five in second place and the Oklahoma City Thunder got one vote.

“There wasn’t a lot of significant movement this summer, and it’s no surprise that the top three teams that earned votes made the biggest headline-grabbing deals: Paul George to Philadelphia, Mikal Bridges to New York and Alex Caruso to Oklahoma City,” Bontemps writes.

However, one voter didn’t agree. When asked about who had the worst offseason, the Knicks received one vote.

“Surprisingly, an East scout said the Knicks had the league’s worst offseason, pointing to the combination of losing center Isaiah Hartenstein, giving a near-max deal to OG Anunoby and paying a heavy price to land Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets,” Bontemps writes.

The scout was “not convinced they’ll be better this year” than they were in 2023-24 when they won 50 games. However, the Knicks will get back a healthy Julius Randle and Anunoby. When the Knicks played Randle, Anunoby and Jalen Brunson in the same game, the Knicks were 20-3. Add in the fact that they also have Bridges alongside them and they should be one of the better teams in the East.

To say the Knicks didn’t have the best offseason is understandable. Teams like the Sixers and Thunder added some key pieces as well without losing as much as the Knicks did. However, it’s hard to believe that 29 teams had a better offseason than New York. Sure, the loss of Hartenstein isn’t great, but that doesn’t mean their summer was the worst in the league.

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