Getty Head coach Tom Thibodeau of the New York Knicks reacts.
Everyone has an opinion, but not every opinion nails it. Such is the case with ESPN.com’s NBA survey of 18 NBA coaches, scouts and executives answering questions about the best and worst offseasons, as well as the most impactful moves.
One scout called out the New York Knicks as having the worst offseason in the NBA (the Knicks also received five votes for best offseason).
“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 [Mikal] Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets,” Tim Bontemps wrote in the July 29 story.
“‘I’m not convinced they’ll be better this year,’ the scout said,” according to Bontemps.
Is There Any Defending the ‘Worst’ Take?
Losing Hartenstein will have an effect on the team because they’ll have to lean on Mitchell Robinson for minutes, unless coach Tom Thibodeau decides to play Julius Randle out of position in a smaller lineup. At 7 feet tall and 240 pounds, Robinson has a big body, but he hasn’t quite realized the potential he showed early in his career. He’s doing a great job hitting the offensive glass (4.6 per game in just 24.8 minutes), but his scoring, blocked shots and ghastly free-throw shooting (40.9%) leave much to be desired.
Handing Anunoby a deal worth $212.5 million isn’t the offseason’s craziest deal because he’s still just 27 years old, shoots the 3 at nearly 40% and made the NBA’s All-Defensive team in 2022-23. His availability has been a concern because he’s played 43, 48, 67 and 50 games over the last four seasons. He’s essentially a lesser version of Bridges (another former All-Defensive Team honoree), but even that’s not a bad thing — good luck with those two defending the wings.
Lastly, the Bridges deal is going to be scrutinized until we have the luxury of hindsight. If it results in an NBA title, then it’s going to be looked at more fondly than if it wasn’t. Put simply, the Knicks had an opportunity to keep their core together and add a foundational piece (not only on-court, but off as well), and mortgaged their future to do it. I’d wager the vast majority of fans in every city would love if their team were that aggressive in going after a championship.
There’s ultimately no defending the “worst” take by the scout, unless you’re really convinced that the 2023-24 Knicks overachieved to the greatest extent possible and will regress. Even then, they locked up their core and added a fringe all-star.
Who Actually Had the Worst Offseason?
According to the survey, the Denver Nuggets edged out the Chicago Bulls and LA Clippers for the worst offseason.
The Nuggets lost two key players — Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Reggie Jackson — while adding Dario Saric and Russell Westbrook. The Bulls traded fan-favorite Alex Caruso for pennies on the dollar and couldn’t unload Zach LaVine. And the Clippers watched Paul George walk out on them for nothing at all.
Chicago’s expectations weren’t great to begin with, so we’ll give them a pass. The Nuggets are just two seasons off of winning the NBA Championship and lost over 4,200 minutes worth of quality playing time, while watching the Western Conference improve. The Clippers, well, disappointment is in their DNA.
The survey has it right. Denver had the most to lose and did just that, sliding down the Western Conference’s hierarchy. At least they can be nostalgic about a recent title.