Knicks · The really short off season for knicks! How to run it back? (page 17)

PatCummings @ 6/22/2026 10:32 PM
technomaster wrote:
Philc1 wrote:
newyorknewyork wrote:Now sign Huk & McCullar to early bird rights contracts for 3 years $7mil each.

Gamble on them now as they can be rotational 2nd unit pieces for the low in 2 years if not next season.

Huk I can see developing into Mitch’s role in the rotation. He’s a 7 footer.

I think Huk could eventually take over the role of backup center, but Mitch was a special talent from the start. Challenging shots from anywhere on the floor, catching and throwing down alley oops.

Mitch had something like an insane 42” vertical when he came into the league. Huk is not Mitch but he’s not awful

Chandler @ 6/23/2026 7:05 AM
PatCummings wrote:
technomaster wrote:
Philc1 wrote:
newyorknewyork wrote:Now sign Huk & McCullar to early bird rights contracts for 3 years $7mil each.

Gamble on them now as they can be rotational 2nd unit pieces for the low in 2 years if not next season.

Huk I can see developing into Mitch’s role in the rotation. He’s a 7 footer.

I think Huk could eventually take over the role of backup center, but Mitch was a special talent from the start. Challenging shots from anywhere on the floor, catching and throwing down alley oops.

Mitch had something like an insane 42” vertical when he came into the league. Huk is not Mitch but he’s not awful

I don’t recall that. Maybe you’re thinking of Jericho sims

DLeethal @ 6/23/2026 7:19 AM
nycericanguy wrote:
DLeethal wrote:
nycericanguy wrote:
DLeethal wrote:I highly doubt Deuce, Landry, and Mo are all on the team next year. Landry was basically playing Mo’s future role as a bench wing. If Landry is back he slides to his natural 2 position and Deuce most likely gets traded for a pick or something. If not then Landry most likely isn’t back. I’m sure for Mo to take this deal he was promised playing time going forward.

Jose - Deuce - Landry was always an undersized trio and put lots of pressure on Mikal and OG to carry all of the 3/4 forward burden. Mo brings much needed balance there off the bench. But someone will have to concede a spot between Landry and Deuce.

MO is versatile enough to even play small ball 5, and I doubt Mitch plays B2B's again. Maybe we even finally let Mikal sit and end that streak. Mikal playing 65 games a year going forward might be best for his career, especially with all these deep playoff runs.

Too much depth is a great problem to have. I remember we had RJ, IQ, Grimes, DDV, Hart, Deuce, Brunson... it all ends up working itself out though.

I agree but you also get to the point where you have too many guys. Like is Deuce really gonna get benched at this point? Just wouldn’t happen, we’d trade him before he became situational.

Mo should be a big minutes eater for us this year. Tons of backup 3/4 minutes and even some 5 if that’s the plan for him.

injuries happen, but i'm also fine trading Deuce for a couple of future 2nd rounders if need be, maybe even a late 1st?

I understand the importance of depth. I just don’t think it’s realistic sometimes for certain guys to get demoted to a depth piece. I don’t think we’d ever demote Deuce to a situational depth piece. We’d trade him before that and get value from him. And also do right by him in a contract year.

DLeethal @ 6/23/2026 7:23 AM
Hopefully all these teams trying to level up to the Knicks motivates Dolan to bring everyone back.
PatCummings @ 6/23/2026 7:30 AM
Chandler wrote:
PatCummings wrote:
technomaster wrote:
Philc1 wrote:
newyorknewyork wrote:Now sign Huk & McCullar to early bird rights contracts for 3 years $7mil each.

Gamble on them now as they can be rotational 2nd unit pieces for the low in 2 years if not next season.

Huk I can see developing into Mitch’s role in the rotation. He’s a 7 footer.

I think Huk could eventually take over the role of backup center, but Mitch was a special talent from the start. Challenging shots from anywhere on the floor, catching and throwing down alley oops.

Mitch had something like an insane 42” vertical when he came into the league. Huk is not Mitch but he’s not awful

I don’t recall that. Maybe you’re thinking of Jericho sims

You’re right. I was thinking of Sims’ combine. Mitch wasn’t tested but probably had a really good vertical

foosballnick @ 6/23/2026 9:10 AM
PatCummings wrote:
Chandler wrote:
PatCummings wrote:
technomaster wrote:
Philc1 wrote:
newyorknewyork wrote:Now sign Huk & McCullar to early bird rights contracts for 3 years $7mil each.

Gamble on them now as they can be rotational 2nd unit pieces for the low in 2 years if not next season.

Huk I can see developing into Mitch’s role in the rotation. He’s a 7 footer.

I think Huk could eventually take over the role of backup center, but Mitch was a special talent from the start. Challenging shots from anywhere on the floor, catching and throwing down alley oops.

Mitch had something like an insane 42” vertical when he came into the league. Huk is not Mitch but he’s not awful

I don’t recall that. Maybe you’re thinking of Jericho sims

You’re right. I was thinking of Sims’ combine. Mitch wasn’t tested but probably had a really good vertical

I believe that Mitch was tagged with the ability to jump multiple times extremely quickly. This is likely one of the reasons for his offensive rebounding prowess.

foosballnick @ 6/23/2026 9:14 AM
Long from Jeremy Cohen but worth the info regarding Knicks and the 2nd Apron, Repeater Tax and Cap .....
EwingsGlass @ 6/23/2026 11:28 AM
foosballnick wrote:
PatCummings wrote:
Chandler wrote:
PatCummings wrote:
technomaster wrote:
Philc1 wrote:
newyorknewyork wrote:Now sign Huk & McCullar to early bird rights contracts for 3 years $7mil each.

Gamble on them now as they can be rotational 2nd unit pieces for the low in 2 years if not next season.

Huk I can see developing into Mitch’s role in the rotation. He’s a 7 footer.

I think Huk could eventually take over the role of backup center, but Mitch was a special talent from the start. Challenging shots from anywhere on the floor, catching and throwing down alley oops.

Mitch had something like an insane 42” vertical when he came into the league. Huk is not Mitch but he’s not awful

I don’t recall that. Maybe you’re thinking of Jericho sims

You’re right. I was thinking of Sims’ combine. Mitch wasn’t tested but probably had a really good vertical

I believe that Mitch was tagged with the ability to jump multiple times extremely quickly. This is likely one of the reasons for his offensive rebounding prowess.

The quick twitch

technomaster @ 6/23/2026 1:16 PM
EwingsGlass wrote:
foosballnick wrote:
PatCummings wrote:
Chandler wrote:
PatCummings wrote:
technomaster wrote:
Philc1 wrote:
newyorknewyork wrote:Now sign Huk & McCullar to early bird rights contracts for 3 years $7mil each.

Gamble on them now as they can be rotational 2nd unit pieces for the low in 2 years if not next season.

Huk I can see developing into Mitch’s role in the rotation. He’s a 7 footer.

I think Huk could eventually take over the role of backup center, but Mitch was a special talent from the start. Challenging shots from anywhere on the floor, catching and throwing down alley oops.

Mitch had something like an insane 42” vertical when he came into the league. Huk is not Mitch but he’s not awful

I don’t recall that. Maybe you’re thinking of Jericho sims

You’re right. I was thinking of Sims’ combine. Mitch wasn’t tested but probably had a really good vertical

I believe that Mitch was tagged with the ability to jump multiple times extremely quickly. This is likely one of the reasons for his offensive rebounding prowess.

The quick twitch

I don't want to diminish Hukporti because he was a GREAT 2nd round pick and I legitimately think he has a shot to be a good rotation player.

BUT... he's part of a lineage of beefy big men that PROBABLY would have been a bonafide starter or more 15+ years ago. He could have been a young Kendrick Perkins or maybe even Al Jefferson, maybe more. Alas, the NBA is what it is today.

Hukporti is probably ready to step into a bigger role and from what we've seen, he won't be the gamechanger on D, at least relative to Mitch's impact. He might have a post up game and some perimeter shot - so instead of just coming down with the offensive boards, he might try to score instead of kicking the ball out. Then again, it's part of the Knicks game plan to take open 3s when you kick the ball out. You'd still rather just about anyone else on the roster shoot it instead of Hukporti.

Knixkik @ 6/23/2026 1:20 PM
foosballnick wrote:Long from Jeremy Cohen but worth the info regarding Knicks and the 2nd Apron, Repeater Tax and Cap .....

He is generally against going into the second apron simply because you can bring back everyone but Mitch. Once you go into the second apron, the 2-year clock starts, so there has to be an easy escape plan. Bringing back Mitch and Shamet on 2-year contracts makes sense, but then you have to think about extensions of the starters down the line. Brunson would have to continue to take a major discount to keep the starters together. Is it worth starting the clock now by resigning Mitch? Jeremy seems to think he didn’t play well enough in the playoffs to justify it. I don’t want to lose Mitch, but I do agree. We still win the title this season without him. But regardless once you go over for 2 years, you have to go back below for 3 years. So what’s more important ? Maximizing this group for the next 2 years, or keeping the core together for as long as possible ? That’s the dilemma.

DLeethal @ 6/23/2026 2:30 PM


Knixkik @ 6/23/2026 2:55 PM
DLeethal wrote:

I don’t blame them for wanting to stay below the second apron longer. Have to think about it long term and what’s sustainable. Although I’ll say moving deuce makes less sense because he’s so cheap you aren’t replacing his salary slot with a better player.

If the Knicks move Dadiet, they have a ton of wiggle room below the second apron. They can resign shamet for 6-7M per year starting. More than fair. They can fill out the remainder of the roster easily while staying below the second apron. They will have their starters plus a bench of Shamet, Alvarado, Deuce, Diawara, Kolek, plus they have enough to draft a player at 24, 31 and sign 2 minimum guys. So they can bring back Clarkson and either Sochan or Hukporti if they want. They could also make a move such as pick 24 for either Yves Missi or Ryan Kulkbrenner if they wanted to lock in a quality backup center replacement on a low contract. Again all of this while staying below the second apron.

DLeethal @ 6/23/2026 3:03 PM
Knixkik wrote:
DLeethal wrote:

I don’t blame them for wanting to stay below the second apron longer. Have to think about it long term and what’s sustainable. Although I’ll say moving deuce makes less sense because he’s so cheap you aren’t replacing his salary slot with a better player.

If the Knicks move Dadiet, they have a ton of wiggle room below the second apron. They can resign shamet for 6-7M per year starting. More than fair. They can fill out the remainder of the roster easily while staying below the second apron. They will have their starters plus a bench of Shamet, Alvarado, Deuce, Diawara, Kolek, plus they have enough to draft a player at 24, 31 and sign 2 minimum guys. So they can bring back Clarkson and either Sochan or Hukporti if they want. They could also make a move such as pick 24 for either Yves Missi or Ryan Kulkbrenner if they wanted to lock in a quality backup center replacement on a low contract. Again all of this while staying below the second apron.

I wouldn't be shocked if they are posturing to bring back Jose and Landry and therefore Deuce is expendable. I mentioned last night I think bringing back the full trio of Jose, Landry, Deuce makes little to no sense.

Retaining Jose, Landry, Mo and drafting the UCONN big + a vet min C would be a solid outcome in my view.

Knixkik @ 6/23/2026 3:35 PM
DLeethal wrote:
Knixkik wrote:
DLeethal wrote:

I don’t blame them for wanting to stay below the second apron longer. Have to think about it long term and what’s sustainable. Although I’ll say moving deuce makes less sense because he’s so cheap you aren’t replacing his salary slot with a better player.

If the Knicks move Dadiet, they have a ton of wiggle room below the second apron. They can resign shamet for 6-7M per year starting. More than fair. They can fill out the remainder of the roster easily while staying below the second apron. They will have their starters plus a bench of Shamet, Alvarado, Deuce, Diawara, Kolek, plus they have enough to draft a player at 24, 31 and sign 2 minimum guys. So they can bring back Clarkson and either Sochan or Hukporti if they want. They could also make a move such as pick 24 for either Yves Missi or Ryan Kulkbrenner if they wanted to lock in a quality backup center replacement on a low contract. Again all of this while staying below the second apron.

I wouldn't be shocked if they are posturing to bring back Jose and Landry and therefore Deuce is expendable. I mentioned last night I think bringing back the full trio of Jose, Landry, Deuce makes little to no sense.

Retaining Jose, Landry, Mo and drafting the UCONN big + a vet min C would be a solid outcome in my view.

See I think you bring them all back because you can. What’s really the point in not bringing back Deuce even if you resign Jose and Shamet? Guys will get injured and the depth is key. Keep all of the cheap talent possible, and Deuce is cheap talent. Mitch is awesome but he costs a lot of money for the biggest injury risk on the team who also can’t play more than 15 mpg in the playoffs due to the foul shooting. Mitch is really, really good, but these are the concerns. I’ll draft multiple bigs and sign a big that wants to play for a contender at the minimum. There would be nothing wrong with drafting Reed at 24 and Ejiofor at 31 for example. Or vice versa. Or trade 24 for Missi and draft Ejiofor at 31. We have the cheap guard depth. Let’s use resources to target cheap big man depth.

aggo @ 6/23/2026 3:43 PM
trading Deuce makes the most sense because we are not going to give an extension to him again


combine that with Alvarado and Kolek, it is difficult to find minutes for deuce

PatCummings @ 6/23/2026 3:44 PM
DLeethal wrote:
Knixkik wrote:
DLeethal wrote:

I don’t blame them for wanting to stay below the second apron longer. Have to think about it long term and what’s sustainable. Although I’ll say moving deuce makes less sense because he’s so cheap you aren’t replacing his salary slot with a better player.

If the Knicks move Dadiet, they have a ton of wiggle room below the second apron. They can resign shamet for 6-7M per year starting. More than fair. They can fill out the remainder of the roster easily while staying below the second apron. They will have their starters plus a bench of Shamet, Alvarado, Deuce, Diawara, Kolek, plus they have enough to draft a player at 24, 31 and sign 2 minimum guys. So they can bring back Clarkson and either Sochan or Hukporti if they want. They could also make a move such as pick 24 for either Yves Missi or Ryan Kulkbrenner if they wanted to lock in a quality backup center replacement on a low contract. Again all of this while staying below the second apron.

I wouldn't be shocked if they are posturing to bring back Jose and Landry and therefore Deuce is expendable. I mentioned last night I think bringing back the full trio of Jose, Landry, Deuce makes little to no sense.

Retaining Jose, Landry, Mo and drafting the UCONN big + a vet min C would be a solid outcome in my view.

I don’t understand the hesitation to go above the 2nd apron. Losing Mitch as a FA is a waste of an asset. Go over the apron for 1 year while drafting his replacement. Then trade him next year to get under the apron and get more assets. Same for Alvarado, Shamet, etc.. And obviously keeping everyone increases our odds of repeating next year.

jaydh @ 6/23/2026 3:47 PM
I think he is more comfortable as a backup and would pass on bigger offers requiring him to start. He seemed very content with giving iHart his spot.
newyorknewyork @ 6/23/2026 3:57 PM
Pacome is due (team option) of $5.3mil the season after this one. Unless he becomes a regular rotation player earning about 20mins a game by then. Given the penny pinching the Knicks are going to be operating within. There is no way he is on the Knicks at that price.

They could keep him for this coming season, but odds are higher he won't crack the rotation and the Knicks would probably end up just cutting ties with him losing him for nothing. Have to weigh the odds of him playing well these next 2 years to help us win a chip before losing him for nothing. Or trading him at the deadline with higher value in that scenario. Vs trading him now to extend the clock on a another cost controlled prospect.

newyorknewyork @ 6/23/2026 4:17 PM
PatCummings wrote:
DLeethal wrote:
Knixkik wrote:
DLeethal wrote:

I don’t blame them for wanting to stay below the second apron longer. Have to think about it long term and what’s sustainable. Although I’ll say moving deuce makes less sense because he’s so cheap you aren’t replacing his salary slot with a better player.

If the Knicks move Dadiet, they have a ton of wiggle room below the second apron. They can resign shamet for 6-7M per year starting. More than fair. They can fill out the remainder of the roster easily while staying below the second apron. They will have their starters plus a bench of Shamet, Alvarado, Deuce, Diawara, Kolek, plus they have enough to draft a player at 24, 31 and sign 2 minimum guys. So they can bring back Clarkson and either Sochan or Hukporti if they want. They could also make a move such as pick 24 for either Yves Missi or Ryan Kulkbrenner if they wanted to lock in a quality backup center replacement on a low contract. Again all of this while staying below the second apron.

I wouldn't be shocked if they are posturing to bring back Jose and Landry and therefore Deuce is expendable. I mentioned last night I think bringing back the full trio of Jose, Landry, Deuce makes little to no sense.

Retaining Jose, Landry, Mo and drafting the UCONN big + a vet min C would be a solid outcome in my view.

I don’t understand the hesitation to go above the 2nd apron. Losing Mitch as a FA is a waste of an asset. Go over the apron for 1 year while drafting his replacement. Then trade him next year to get under the apron and get more assets. Same for Alvarado, Shamet, etc.. And obviously keeping everyone increases our odds of repeating next year.

Knicks may end up being a 2nd apron team the early or final stages of when the Knicks extend KAT, Brunson, OG, Hart. They may be waiting for that window to be a 2nd apron team rather than doing so now.

Projected 2nd apron in 28-29 is $224(could end up being more but that's the number they are giving). KAT at $50mil(taking a massive discount), Brunson at $70mil(taking another discount), OG at $40mil(taking a discount), Hart at $16mil(discount), Mikal at $39mil with a PO the following . That would be $215mil just from the starting 5 if they all took those discounts. A guy like Mo would be lurking for his next contract. If he becomes the player we believe is. His price hike will probably force them to move on from Hart or Mikal when he due.

nycericanguy @ 6/23/2026 4:32 PM
Wonder if we could just throw a 1 year $30m deal at MItch?
newyorknewyork @ 6/23/2026 4:33 PM
nycericanguy wrote:Wonder if we could just throw a 1 year $30m deal at MItch?

Thought about that at that exact contract lol. But the CBA don't want us to be great unfortunately

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