Getty RJ Barrett and Jalen Brunson
One thing is certain after the New York Knicks‘ second-round exit in this year’s NBA Playoffs — this is Jalen Brunson‘s team now.
Brunson’s emergence as a bankable star has the Knicks’ front office mapping out plans to get him much-needed help, according to SNY’s Ian Begley.
“Something worth noting on potential Knicks trades: during the season, New York internally discussed some veteran shooting guards that would fit [Bobby Marks’] No. 2 description and could become available via trade,” Begley wrote.
The report came on the heels of ESPN’s NBA front office insider Bobby Marks saying the Knicks are in a better situation now than two years ago when they lost to Atlanta in their first playoff appearance under team president Leon Rose’s regime.
“[Jalen] Brunson is a franchise player. The question [for the team now] is, ‘Do you have a solid No. 2? If you don’t, what is the cost to go out and get one of those players? There’s a significant cost to that,” Marks told Begley.
The top five shooting guards in the league in terms of salary for next season are Washington’s Bradley Beal ($46.7 million), LA Clippers’ Paul George ($45.6 million), Golden State’s Klay Thompson ($43.2 million), Chicago’s Zach LaVine ($40 million) and Phoenix’s Devin Booker ($36 million).
Of the top five, only LaVine and Booker are under 30.
Begley noted on the May 16 episode of SNY’s The Putback that the Knicks had touched base with the Bulls front office heading into the trade deadline regarding LaVine. He also added to keep an eye on Thompson, whose previous five-year, $190 million expires after next season.
The 33-year-old Thompson, the other half of the Splash Brothers, expects to be rewarded with a max-level contract extension from the Warriors, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Knicks have been linked to All-Star big men Karl-Anthony Towns of Minnesota and reigning MVP Joel Embiid of Philadelphia. But there are no clear indications they would be available via trade this summer.
Begley’s latest intel hints that the Knicks could move in another direction.
The plot thickens.
Bobby Marks Warns Knicks on Dumping Julius Randle
The Knicks’ planned pursuit of consistent help for Brunson stemmed from Julius Randle‘s inconsistent and poor shooting in the playoffs.
Randle was stellar in the regular season, which earned him his second All-Star berth and All-NBA team nod.
Marks, however, cautioned on trading Randle if it is for something other than a star.
“The thing is, you make one more wrong move, those being two games away from the Eastern Conference Finals would be two games into the play-in,” Marks said on KnicksFan TV.
Jalen Brunson Looks Forward to Next Season
Despite the disappointing ending to his first year with the Knicks, Brunson is looking to build on it and return stronger next season.
“New York has been amazing, and the fans have been amazing. It’s been a really great experience for myself and my family. I’m already excited about next year. It’s going to be fun. We have a lot to prove to each other as teammates,” Jalen Brunson said.
“This was a great year for us… Obviously, we didn’t end the season the way we wanted to, but [we have to] keep working on our game, keep gaining confidence, as [players] and as teammates, and as we move forward, we just gotta keep sticking together like we did this year.”
Jalen Brunson on his first season as a Knick.
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Brunson was more than everything the Knicks have asked for this past season, averaging career-highs in scoring (24.0) and assists (6.2) while shooting 49.1% from the field and also a career-best 41.6% from deep.