The New York Knicks’ front office is running circles around everyone else this summer. There’s no debating that.
We know that the Knicks created arguably the most unique trade in NBA history to get the deal done. New York had to get a bit of help from FIBA and a EuroLeague team to make sure the deal happened.
But that’s not the only unique solution the Knicks came up with to land Towns. I’d argue that it’s not even the most unique.
The Knicks exploited a pretty hilarious loophole in the NBA’s new punitive collective bargaining agreement to complete the deal.
The Knicks were apparently in a position where the team couldn’t aggregate veteran minimum contracts to balance salaries out in a trade, according to The Athletic’s Fred Katz. But the Knicks needed to do so to avoid trading key rotational players in the deal.
So what did Leon Rose and his cap guru, Brock Aller, do to get around this problem? They paid Duane Washington Jr., DaQuan Jeffries and Charlie Brown Jr. just $1 more than the veteran minimum to make the deal work.
A. Single. Dollar. Just one. This is insane.
The Knicks have discovered a new loophole in the CBA.
Teams in their situation cannot aggregate minimums anymore. So in the sign and trades of Jeffries, Brown and Washington, they are paying each of those guys just $1 above the minimum, league sources tell @TheAthletic.
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) October 2, 2024
This is officially the most video game-y trade in NBA history. The Knicks literally took every penny into consideration with this one. This is hilarious. It’s a trade straight out of MyGM mode on NBA 2K. Unreal.
And you just know the league’s front office is seething about this. Katz is reporting the NBA isn’t happy about it.
I have heard from various people that the league isn’t thrilled about this — but such is the way it goes with new CBAs. The NBA tries to close up loopholes and then smart people working for teams find new ones. https://t.co/7qfQEujxRi
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) October 2, 2024
But, honestly, how can you be mad about this? If it were, I’d just have to respect the audacity.
I imagine this is what it’s like for parents when their kids bend the rules to the point where they don’t quite break. It’s like, sure, you told little Johnny to be home by 6 o’clock, But it’s 5:59! Technically, this is fine.
The Knicks are Johnny, and the NBA is the seething parent who is upset but also impressed because they’ve raised a master negotiator.
Way to go, Leon Rose. You broke the CBA. Thank you for doing this.