Yeah maybe I haven't watched enough of these guys the last couple years, but Ingram has been a slightly below average defender his entire career, and Bridges as a role player in Phoenix was excellent defensively(and I don't see why he can't go back to that when he doesn't have to carry a heavy offensive load).
It kills your ability to adjust to match up offensively and somewhat defensively with certain teams like the Thunder or Celtics. Without Randle, the Knicks have no hope to beat the Celtics with Brown and Tatum in a seven game series unless both Al and Porzingis are injured.
Maybe. The counter argument would be that people were a little too high on his post trade performance with Brooklyn and last year reflected something closer to his true ability.
In a vacuum 5 first round picks for Bridges is not a great trade. However when you look at the Knicks position, how he fits, other options before they go into the second apron, the fact they needed to make a trade before July 1st, what else was available, this looks like a better trade.
The bolded really depends on what constitutes a playoff run. The Bucks won the 2021 title and were 3rd (or tied for 3rd) in the preseason title odds each of the next three seasons while finishing 3rd, 1st and 3rd in the conference, and won a grand total of one playoff series over that time. People will be happy for a year or two of relevance, but if they don't look like a legit contender to win it all (that would mean at least being competitive in the conference finals) with this core, these picks will come up quite a bit. If the Knicks do crash as this core ages and their crosstown rivals end up getting multiple high lottery picks (doesn't even have to be on the level of Brown/Tatum/Kyrie), nothing short of an actual title will calm people down.
I think that being a legit contender to make the finals for a few years is such a step up from what the Knick fanbase under 50 is used to that they will be ecstatic, even if they don't win a title. Remember where they're coming from.
Yeah, right now Boston is in a class of its own compared to the rest of the league, the road to the title travels straight through the Garden, the Knicks just added the NBA's apex 3&D wing. With OGA, Josh Hart, DiVincenzo, and Alec Burks (if he returns) they now have a pretty endless supply of wings to throw at Tatum and Brown. If anything they just moved to the top of the pecking order in terms of being able to beat Boston. The risk, of course, is the Minnesota one. The T'wolves built a roster to beat the Nuggets, and succeeded. But fell on their face after. But, from NY's standpoint, having all those 3&D wings is pretty much always a positive.
Still capped either way, but yes they don't have to spend into the aprons, just prohibited from going above them (which one depends on deal structure).
Depends on the team. I think you answered a lot of your question, for the Celtics a bunch of 2nds has more value than #30 BUT for the vast majority of non-contenders (22/30 teams IMO) a 1st has plenty of value.
I would personally believe most of the time, the cost-controlled 4 years of a 1st make it a value play for a team who is already very expensive.
7 years ago the Knicks won 28 games and the Mavericks won 24. It really is an eternity in the NBA
They're not really that cost-controlled if you're in the second apron, though. The Celtics' first round pick this year - if they use it - will cost them $9 million after the tax, about as much as a six year vet minimum, and that's for a four year guaranteed contract for a player who you don't know how they're going to perform in the NBA. It's really expensive to draft as a tax team in the new salary cap era.
again, it’s relative to what. They cost about same as a vet minimum - as you note. So you can save a little, became you could go two way or a very low end vet (the only kind under the six year vet min, which is cost neutral) but some first round picks greatly exceed their value, too…so you are either a little behind or well ahead. And you get more years, plus more favorable extension options if they hit.
Relative to a:
