The New York Knicks are expected to go all in should the Washington Wizards pivot to rebuilding and make three-time All-Star Bradley Beal available.
“I would imagine if he does become available, you would see the Knicks be very aggressive in trying to get him,” Knicks’ MSG game broadcast analyst Alan Hahn said on ESPN’s Get Up on Tuesday.
Hahn’s remark came on the heels of ESPN’s NBA insider Brian Windhorst reporting in the same show that teams are monitoring the Wizards, who have hired a new front office.
“Michael Winger, the President of the Washington Wizards, said he had been given clearance by ownership to do a complete rebuild,” Windhorst said on Get Up. “And that has left everybody in the league wondering about the future of Bradley Beal.”
Trading Beal could be tricky as he has a no-trade clause in his $251 million supermax contract.
“…not only could he decide if he wants to leave the Wizards, but he could decide who and what he’s traded for. It makes it extremely difficult to find the deal. And Michael Winger said he has not made up his mind yet. But that indecision has led teams to keep a very close eye on the Wizards as they not only have Beal but big free agents, Kyle Kuzma and Kristaps Porzingis,” Windhorst added.
For Hahn, the Knicks fits the bill as the perfect trade partner for the Wizards should they decide to move on from Beal.
“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. “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 pick.”
In 2021, ESPN radio host Michael Kay reported that William Wesley, the Knicks executive vice president and senior basketball advisor, was working through backchannels to get Beal to New York.
“The Knicks have World Wide Wes on their side,” Kay said then. “And he’s been in the ear of some of Beal’s people, and he’s kind of nudging them that this might be a time to push for a trade.”
Hahn also added the Philadelphia 76ers as the other potential landing spot for Beal because of Joel Embiid.
Beal averaged 23.2 points and 5.4 assists while shooting 50.6% from the field and 36.5% from deep this past season. He is locked up until the 2025-26 season with a $57.1 million player option for the 2026-27 season when he’s 33.
Knicks Unlikely to Bring Kristaps Porzingis Back: Insider
Former Knicks lottery pick Kristaps Porzingis has also been linked to the Knicks with the uncertainty at D.C.
SNY’s Ian Begley doesn’t see the Knicks committing long-term to the oft-injured 7-foor-3 Latvian center, who was the Knicks’ fourth overall pick in 2015.
“The prospect of bringing Porzingis back to New York on a long-term deal may look good on paper, but it would be a significant commitment for the Knicks, and it doesn’t seem like a path they’d go down at this time,” Begley wrote.
Porzingis has a $33.8 million player option for next season, which he plans to decline as he had talks with the Wizards about coming back on a longer deal. But that was before the Wizards revamped their front office.
Former Knicks Trade Target Could Become Available
If Beal is unavailable, Dejounte Murray of the Atlanta Hawks could be the Knicks’ next-best option as Brunson’s new running mate in their backcourt.
Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus reported that Murray could be moved at the right price in the wake of the new punitive Collective Bargaining Agreement for top spenders.
“The Hawks are facing a more immediate problem under the new CBA, with a payroll projected to be $172 million and $16.4 million in luxury taxes (more if players hit various incentives). The team is believed to be looking for a home for John Collins, but some whispers abound that Dejounte Murray could be had in the right deal,” Pincus wrote.
The Knicks were among the teams interested in trading for Murray last summer, according to multiple reports, before the San Antonio Spurs chose the Hawks’ package of three first-round picks (two unprotected), a pick swap and former Knick Danilo Gallinari.
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Knicks ‘Would Be Very Aggressive’ to Get $251 Million Star: Analyst