Getty Owner James Dolan (L) and head coach Tom Thibodeau of the New York Knicks.
The New York Knicks‘ patience in their star hunt could be rewarded this offseason.
Bradley Beal, who had been linked to the Knicks since 2021, could be had cheaper than recent star trades, according to ESPN’s NBA insider Brian Windhorst.
“If the Wizards and Bradley Beal come to a decision that he should be traded because they’re going to start a rebuild, I think people would be stunned at what the price could be,” Windhorst said on Get Up on Wednesday.
“And I don’t mean high, I mean low in the wake of the Rudy Gobert [trade] and what we saw Donovan Mitchell went for with what [Beal] got left on his contract and the fact that he controls the trade, you could potentially see a quote-unquote bargain star trade here, which is why you have some teams sniffing around this to see what the Wizards and then Beal decide to do,” Windhorst added.
In the Gobert trade, the Timberwolves gave up four unprotected first-round picks, a pick swap, and the rights to their last year’s first-rounder Walker Kessler and a slew of veterans, including Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt, which they packaged with Mike Conley, for another first-round selection (Los Angeles Lakers‘ 2027 top-four protected).
On the other hand, the Cleveland Cavaliers paid three unprotected first-round picks and two pick swaps, along with former lottery picks Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton and Ochai Agbaji for Mitchell to outbid the Knicks.
Windhorst added if the Wizards decide to move on from Beal, “it could be before the [NBA Draft] next week.”
The Knicks have all their first-round picks starting next year, and four with varying protections from other teams and a mix of young players on the rise and veterans on expiring deals at their disposal in any star trade.
The 29-year-old Beal has four years remaining on his five-year, $251 million supermax contract, with the last season a player option. A team who will trade for him will also inherit his no-trade clause.
Two years removed from his last All-Star appearance, Beal still averaged 23.2 points and 5.4 assists while shooting 50.6% from the field and 36.5% from deep this past season.
Knicks Analyst Pushes for Bradley Beal Trade
Alan Hahn, MSG Network’s studio and game analyst and ESPN commentator, pushes for the Knicks to become Beal’s next team if the Wizards decide to rebuild.
“There’s a team in the east that could use this player, and actually, they’ve been linked to him in the past. It’s the Knicks,” Hahn said on Get Up on Tuesday. “Put Beal next to Jalen Brunson, and you’ve got a backcourt that’s one of the best in the league as far as scoring goes — very unstoppable. And he is at a point in his career where he’s trying to be about winning. So, the Knicks have all the things that the Wizards would need — young players and draft picks.”
“I would imagine if he does become available, you would see the Knicks be very aggressive in trying to get him,” he added.
Josh Hart Linked to Rockets Ahead of Free Agency
Knicks’ pending free agent guard Josh Hart is drawing interest from the Houston Rockets ahead of his free agency, according to The Athletic’s Kelly Iko.
Hart is one of the wings on the Rockets’ backup plan if their first options get off the board.
If the [Brooklyn] Nets and [Los Angeles] Lakers are bent on keeping [Cam] Johnson and [Austin] Reaves, they have other names in mind, like Dillon Brooks, Josh Hart, and Kelly Oubre,” Iko said on the June 13 episode of the Hoopshype podcast with Michael Scotto.