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s/thunder ⬤ 
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Thunder Gamble on RJ's Upside, Knicks Retool Around Brunson and Randle

FAILED
Knicks

Knicks

+2 players ($28.2m),
Cap Impact + $4.1M
  • Dorian Finney-Smith

    RT

    Dorian Finney-Smith
    PF, 6' 7", -0.55 LEBRON
    Recently Traded | Stationary Shooter

    $12.9M

    4yrs

    3
  • Luguentz Dort
    Luguentz Dort
    SG, 6' 3", -0.16 LEBRON
    Stationary Shooter

    $15.2M

    5yrs

    21

+ 0  Wins

-6.83  MPG

+0.06  Off.

+0.74  Def.

Thunder

Thunder

+1 player ($23.6m),
Cap Impact + $8.3M
  • RJ Barrett

    PP

    RJ Barrett
    SG, 6' 6", -1.24 LEBRON
    Poison Pill | Secondary Ball Handler

    $10.9M

    5yrs

    20

-1  Wins

+4.53  MPG

+0.42  Off.

-1.50  Def.

Nets

Nets

+2 players ($0) +1 pick,
Cap Impact + $214K
  • Isaiah Hartenstein
    Isaiah Hartenstein
    C, 0.27 LEBRON
    Roll + Cut Big

    $7.8M

    2yrs

    20
  • Obi Toppin

    CO

    Obi Toppin
    PF, 6' 9", -0.55 LEBRON
    Contract Over | Athletic Finisher

    $5.3M

    2yrs

    20
  • draft-pick-player

    2024 - Round 1

    via UTA
    21

+1  Wins

+2.29  MPG

-0.48  Off.

+0.76  Def.

Thunder Land RJ Barrett
Thunder Receive:

  • RJ Barrett

For the Thunder, this is a gamble on upside. It’s fair to say that Barrett hasn’t lived up to expectations as a third-overall pick. At the same time, he approached them. This is a complicated case where a player isn’t necessarily a success story or a bust. Could he be more successful on the Thunder? By now, it feels fair to say that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander draws more defensive attention than anyone Knick. That might help open up the floor for Barrett. Meanwhile, Josh Giddey might be the most gifted passer he’s played with at the NBA level.

-

Thunder Offseason Moves

  • Draft Cam Whitmore (9th)

  • Draft Emoni Bates (38th)

  • Pick Up Josh Giddey's Team Option

  • Pick Up Aleksej Pokusevski's Team Option

  • Pick Up Tre Mann's Team Option

Oklahoma City Thunder Rotation

PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

SG Josh Giddey

SF RJ Barrett

PF Jalen Williams

C Chet Holmgren

-

PG Tre Mann

SG Isaiah Joe

SF Kenrich Williams

PF Aleksej Pokusevski

C Jaylin Williams

Knicks Receive:

  • Lu Dort

  • First-Round Pick

For the Knicks, this is both a retooling measure and a win-now move. At the present, Dort’s low usage, 3-and-D skillset may actually complement the team more than Barrett's. This offense primarily runs through Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle – they may not need Barrett. At the same time, they wouldn’t flip him for Dort straight up. Barrett has a higher upside, and therefore, more trade value. Luckily, that’s not what the Knicks are doing here. They’re also getting an unprotected first-round pick from a team that could easily be in the lottery. The Knicks may use that pick to select a player, or, they could aggregate it in a trade.

-

Knicks Offseason Moves

  • Trade Obi Toppin, Isaiah Hartenstein, and 1 First-Round Pick for Dorian Finney-Smith

  • Draft Kris Murray (17th)

  • Pick Up Immanuel Quickley's Team Option

  • Pick Up Quentin Grimes's Team Option

  • Pick Up Miles McBride's Team Option

  • Re-sign Josh Hart for 4 years / $56,000,000

  • Sign Cory Joseph for 1 year / Minimum

New York Knicks Potential Rotation

PG Jalen Brunson

SG Josh Hart

SF Lu Dort

PF Julius Randle

C Mitchell Robinson

-

PG Cory Joseph

SG Immanuel Quickley

SF Quentin Grimes

PF Dorian Finney-Smith

C Jericho Sims

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