Getty William Wesley (left) and Leon Rose of the New York Knicks.
The Ringer’s Bill Simmons told MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, a diehard New York Knicks fan, that his beloved team would land one of their rumored superstar targets by next year.
“One of those three guys, I guarantee it, they’ll get. Giannis [Antetokounmpo], Joel [Embiid] or [Donovan] Mitchell will be on that team a year from now,” Simmons said on the September 8 episode of his podcast with Helwani as his guest.
The Knicks missed Mitchell last summer after the Cleveland Cavaliers scooped him up at the last minute with a godfather offer the Utah Jazz couldn’t resist. But the dream of Mitchell playing for his hometown team is still alive, according to Cleveland-based Jason Lloyd of The Athletic, after the Knicks beat him in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Embiid’s future in Philadelphia beyond next season hangs in the balance as he cycles through disgruntled co-stars from Ben Simmons to now James Harden.
Antetokounmpo was the latest Knicks rumored target to have expressed uncertainty surrounding his future in a revealing New York Times interview.
“Giannis is probably the most likely to stay to me just because Milwaukee just might be really good. I really think if he feels like he can win where he is, so [he’ll] stay. Mitchell, I think always want to go to the Knicks and the Embiid thing is just like watching a slow-motion car accident with just where that franchise is going. And he has a whole history with the Knicks,” Simmons said.
For Simmons, Antetokounmpo should be the Knicks’ obvious choice as the top priority “because he’s 29.” But whether the “Greek Freak” becomes available or not will be one of the most interesting storylines next season, putting more pressure on the Bucks’ rookie coach Adrian Griffin.
“It just feels like we’re gonna be talking about the Knicks all year,” Simmons continued. “What are they gonna do? Who’s available? Oh, this guy seemed unhappy. … I wonder if it’s time and all their picks and you know we’ve been down this road with them before. But this time, it really does feel like they’re gonna end up with somebody.”
Knicks Make Roster Move
The Knicks announced they had waived Obadiah Noel over the weekend to make way for NBA Summer League standout Charlie Brown, Jr.
Brown signed an Exhibit 10 contract, according to the team.
The 26-year-old former St. Joseph star averaged 19.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists for the Knicks in the Summer League in Las Vegas last July. He played for the Delaware Blue Coats, winning a G League title last season and earned a 10-day contract with the 76ers in January.
The Knicks currently have one roster spot available.
RJ Barrett Beats Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart for World Cup Bronze
RJ Barrett scored 23 points, including the dagger 3-pointer, in the overtime to help Canada outlast Team USA for the bronze medal in the 2023 FIBA World Cup on Sunday.
Barrett outplayed his Knicks teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart of Team USA.
Brunson ended his World Cup run on a low note, a minus-17 during his 23 minutes on the court. He had 13 points on 5-of-11 shots, and missed his two 3-point attempts, with two assists against one turnover.
Hart was perfect from the field, hitting 4-of-4 shots for 10 points, but only grabbed one rebound before fouling out as Team USA lost three of their last four games to go home without a medal for the second straight World Cup.