The New York Knicks didn’t enter this offseason with a lot of decisions to make. The Los Angeles Lakers? They had a number of free agents and a pair of draft picks. The Phoenix Suns had to build out an entire roster. The Milwaukee Bucks had to fight to bring back their core. The Houston Rockets had a swimming pool of coins Scrooge McDuck-style and wanted to spend them all (and did).
The Knicks? They had just about nothing to do. They had no draft picks, no prominent free agents (especially after Josh Hart opted into his contract) and had their best season in a decade (or longer). It was always going to be a quiet summer, and that bore out.
How did the Knicks’ summer go?
That doesn’t mean nothing happened, however. Inaction is action of a sort, and the Knicks are clearly talking to other teams about trading for a star player while not leaping in pel-mel and overpaying. The Knicks want to be able to contend after they make a deal.
In the meantime, there were a few moves to make this summer. They signed a few players, including taking the Villanova connection to version 3.0, and traded a fan favorite away.
If we were to give the Knicks a “report card” grading them for every move that they made, how would they have done? Even in a lighter semester, the grades matter. If “A” is an excellent move, “B” is a move worth making, “C” is questionable and anything lower is worse, how did the Knicks do?
Let’s take a closer look:
1. Derrick Rose cut loose
The Knicks declined the $15.6 million team option, making Derrick Rose a free agent
The New York Knicks have been on the Derrick Rose ride twice in his career. In 2016-17 they took a swing on a 28 year old Rose, hoping he could regain some of his MVP form despite the multiple knee injuries. He largely did not, averaging 18 points per game but hurting the team in multiple ways; he lasted only 64 games in New York.
Rose came back in 2021, this time reuniting with former head coach Tom Thibodeau. Rose proved to be the Knicks’ second-best shot creator down the stretch and even averaged 19.4 points per game in the playoffs. That earned him a lucrative multi-year deal…before he was continuously injured and eventually pushed behind a deep stable of guards.
Heading into this offseason, the Knicks had two options. Rose had a team option on his deal worth $15.6 million. The Knicks could either keep Rose at that number and use him as matching salary in a trade, or they could decline it and let Rose sign elsewhere. Given Evan Fournier’s presence as potential matching salary it was a no-brainer to take door number two.
Rose signed with the Memphis Grizzlies as something of a veteran mentor to Ja Morant, and the Knicks have plenty of guards to play; Rose won’t be missed. The financial flexibility under the tax line is worth letting Rose go, so that was absolutely the right move to make.
Grade: A
2. Signed Donte DiVincenzo
Signed former Villanova guard Donte DiVincenzo to a four-year, $50 million contract
Last season much was made of the Knicks’ trade for Josh Hart, both because of his fit as a “Thibs” player and his history with point guard Jalen Brunson; the two played together at Villanova University down the road in Philadelphia. Now the Knicks are leaning into this Wildcats connection by signing Donte DiVincenzo, the sixth man on that championship Villanova team.
DiVincenzo was on a promising trajectory with the Milwaukee Bucks before he suffered a surprisingly serious injury that caused him to miss the Bucks’ run to the NBA Finals and got him off to a slow start in 2021-22. He was forced to sign a “prove-it” deal last summer, and he joined the Golden State Warriors and got plenty of run as they suffered multiple injuries in the backcourt.
That earned him a number of suitors at the Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception, and it looks like the Knicks’ offer appealed to him the most. He can reunite with Brunson and Hart and be back on the East Coast. The backcourt is somewhat crowded, but DiVincenzo’s length and rebounding ability allow him to slide to the 3 in some lineups.
The Knicks had enough space under the first tax apron to add DiVincenzo and still leave flexibility for a star trade. DiVincenzo may not have been at a position of need, but he is a good value and helps build in redundancy in case one of the team’s other guards are dealt.
Grade: A-
3. Josh Hart opted-in
Josh Hart opted into the final year of his contract, presumably with a plan to sign an extension
The true outcome of the negotiations between Josh Hart and the New York Knicks is unknown, especially as the reporting has been fairly silent since Hart opted into the final season of his contract. The two sides are expected to come to terms on an extension any time now, but until it happens it can’t be assumed.
For now, however, we can grade the Knicks’ accomplishment of Hart opting into the final year of his contract, which pays him just $12.96 million. That’s a bargain of a deal for Hart, who is in line for an even larger role this season after the trading of Obi Toppin. If he had opted out it’s very possible he makes $18 million or more per season on the open market.
Hart was an excellent trade deadline addition for the Knicks last season, filling a valuable role and leveraging his rebounding to help put away the Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs. His 50 percent 3-point shooting is unlikely to sustain, but if he can just hit league-average his defense, rebounding and playmaking will all be important to the Knicks this season.
Whatever happens with the extension, the first step was convincing Hart to opt in, giving them the leverage in the situation and securing Hart’s services for this season at a discounted amount. If the eventual extension comes in at something insane like 4-for-$100 million this grade will change, but for now, it looks like a good piece of business for the Knicks.
Grade: B+
4. Filled all three two-way slots
Signed Duane Washington Jr., Nathan Knight and Dylan Windler to two-way slots
The New York Knicks completely turned over their two-way slots from last season, taking advantage of the new third slot to add a trio of players and see whether any of them can contribute something to the team down the line.
Duane Washington Jr. went undrafted after starring at Ohio State, joining the Indiana Pacers two years ago and the Phoenix Suns last season. He is a strong, competent 2-guard who can shoot and defend; he doesn’t have the ball-handling or playmaking chops to be an on-ball backup point guard, and at 6’3″ that will make it difficult for him to make it long-term in the league.
Dylan Windler has more size, a prototypical small forward at 6’6″ who looks the part of a rotation player. His issue has been injuries, which robbed him of his rookie season and have limited him to just 84 games total in his career. He is one of the very first users of the new “Harry Giles Rule” in the CBA, which allows fourth-year players to still sign a two-way contract if they missed an entire season during their first three years.
Finally, the Knicks signed Nathan Knight, an entirely competent backup center who was squeezed out by the multitude of bigs in Minnesota. Knight is 6’10” with some shooting pop who needs to stop fouling so much to get consistent playing time. The Knicks are deep at center, but perhaps Knight’s shooting gets him some run at the 4.
Nothing flashy, but there is a theory with each of these players and each was worth a low-risk flyer.
Grade: B
5. Traded Obi Toppin
Traded Obi Toppin to the Indiana Pacers for two second-round picks
The New York Knicks have had a roster crunch for a couple of seasons now under head coach Tom Thibodeau. One of their best players is Julius Randle; whether you think he is overrated or not, he’s a worthy starter and has made two All-NBA teams in the past three seasons.
On a Tom Thibodeau team, however, a traditional center and rim protector is a must. That means Randle has to play exclusively at the 4. That doesn’t leave a lot of minutes for a backup power forward, and accordingly, Obi Toppin has been squeezed for playing time since entering the league.
When Toppin got the chance he excelled, making him a fan favorite and raising questions of whether the Knicks could trade Randle and promote Toppin into the starting lineup. Instead, the Knicks decided they weren’t going to find a larger role for Toppin nor did they want to pay him next summer, trading him to the Indiana Pacers for a pair of future second-round picks.
As a pure asset play, this wasn’t the best move. Toppin has real juice as an above-the-rim athlete with a deep offensive arsenal and enough defense to survive. Toppin should be worth more than a pair of distant seconds. The problem was that his value was never going to increase playing paltry minutes behind Randle; the Knicks sort of “sold high” even for as little as they got back.
It also shows the Knicks are willing to do their players a solid, a nice reputation until the team has to break it. He should excel in Indiana and looks in line to start at the 4 beside Myles Turner, the perfect center to pair with Toppin. It may hurt to see him destroying rims and putting up big minutes racing along with Tyrese Haliburton in Indiana.
Grade: B-
Full offseason report card and grade
The New York Knicks didn’t have a ton to do, but they were active on the margins to improve the roster and stay ready to take another step forward. How does the summer look in total?
Declined Derrick Rose’s team option
Grade: A
Signed Donte DiVincenzo
Grade: A-
Josh Hart opted in
Grade: B+
Filled two-way slots
Grade: B
Traded Obi Toppin
Grade: B-
Overall Grade
If the New York Knicks trade for Zach LaVine, or James Harden, or Paul George, or…well, any star, it will instantly become the defining moment of the offseason. The Toppin trade and the DiVincenzo signing are meaningful, but they ultimately won’t define the future of the Knicks’ franchise.
Adding a second star would be, so perhaps an overall grade should have a sprig of “incomplete” as they bide their time. For now, however, we can look at the moves they did make – minor or not – and evaluate the Knicks’ decision-making.
The Toppin trade was poor value, but it wasn’t a bad deal; everything else looks like a clear positive. That deserves a clear positive grade.
Grade: B+