NBA Reveals Thoughts on Knicks Splash Moves

Opposing general managers may not believe in the New York Knicks’ championship chances but they’re at least impressed with their offseason savvy.

The Knicks’ acquisitions of Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns drew strong reactions in the survey of general managers conducted and posted on NBA.com: Towns’ recent arrival won the honor of being the offseason’s “most surprising” move, as 27 percent of respondents couldn’t believe it.

Bridges crossing boroughs from Brooklyn to Manhattan placed fourth on the same listing at 10 percent while both newcomers were tied for the second-most votes when asked which player moving to a new team would have the biggest impact on their new employers.

That honor does carry a bittersweet aura: earning 60 percent of the vote was the Philadelphia 76ers signing of Paul George, a move indirectly brought about by the Knicks eliminating The City of Brotherly Love from the opening round of last spring’s NBA playoffs.

The basketball world is still reacting to Towns’ late move from Minnesota, which sent Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle to the Minnesota Timberwolves. New York had been in the market for a center since Isaiah Hartenstein moved to Oklahoma City, which was ranked the third-most underrated move in the poll and trading for Towns fulfills that need and then some, especially with metropolitan staple Mitchell Robinson out until early winter.

The general managers, however, were particularly intrigued by Bridges’ entry: the Villanova alum earned seven percent of the votes for the title of the NBA’s most versatile player the fourth-most behind winner Giannis Antetokounmpo of Milwaukee (30 percent), runner-up LeBron James (20 percent), and a three-way tie between Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, and Victor Wembanyama at 10 each. Bridges also received votes in the “best at moving without the ball” department, an honor that Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry won in a landslide.

Both Bridges and Towns made their unofficial Knicks debuts on Sunday, as each appeared in the starting lineup for a visit to Charlotte. They’ll be back in action on Wednesday when the Knicks host the Washington Wizards for another exhibition (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).

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