The NBA trade deadline never lacks when it comes to the drama and intrigue surrounding it. There are always big names churning through the rumor mill — some truly in danger of being moved, others just being thrown out as smokescreens.
We’re mostly seeing the latter so far this year for the trade deadline.
There are lots of names being discussed so far as we inch closer and closer to the end here, but there doesn’t seem to be much action surrounding any of them.
With that being said, though, some teams have already made moves to improve their team on the fringes. Some teams have also already made some pretty splashy moves — they just took action a while ago.
With that in mind, here’s a running tracker for every trade we’ve seen so far ahead of the deadline. Come back here as the trades continue to flow in for a quick rundown.
Here’s an idea, Dolan. Maybe just sell your teams?
Knicks fans have had a tenuous relationship with owner James Dolan, to put it kindly.
To put it in not-so-kind terms, they might actually hate that man. And honestly, it’s hard to blame them. He’s embarrassed the team and the fanbase at every single turn.
He was also asked if owning other franchises was in his future and that’s when he dropped this gem.
“He considered expanding his sports portfolio, perhaps by buying a baseball or soccer team. But while the Knicks and Rangers are ‘near and dear to my heart,’ he said, ‘I don’t really like owning teams,’ calling the economics of major league sports ‘kind of sleepy.’ He ruled out that option.”
Y’all. This man really said he doesn’t really like owning sports teams. Yet, somehow, he still owns the Rangers and the Knicks.
Geez, man. What an unfortunate problem. If only there were some sort of solution where Dolan could just be rid of the multi-billion dollar assets that plague him oh so much.
OH, WAIT. There is. He could sell.
But he’s refused to sell either — particularly the Knicks. We’re not even a full year away from him telling us he has “no plans whatsoever” to sell the Knicks anytime soon. No plans, y’all. And here he is pulling this stunt? No way, man.
James Dolan is a troll. And, unfortunately for you, Knicks fans, you’re his target audience. I’m not going to lie — I’m so thankful I’m not one of you.
But, also, sorry your favorite team’s owner is a complete jerk.
The Miami Heat, man. Absolutely nobody expected this team to be where it is right now. But now that they’re here? Boy, are they making the most out of every moment.
Obviously, Jimmy Butler is on another postseason burner. This dude has played some incredible basketball so far in these playoffs and could potentially go back to the NBA Finals. He’s still got the best performance of the playoffs under his belt.
The Heat just rode that wave to the conference finals after finishing off the Knicks. To celebrate that win, the Heat Twitter account dropped this hilarious meme from a Knicks-Heat game earlier in this season. And it’s just so perfect.
Not the crybaby face. That’s just mean. It’s also hilarious.
If you don’t remember this game, it’s from a 123-113 win all the way back in March. Julius Randle fouled Butler here and then Butler, being the troll he is, made this hilarious crybaby face.
The internet never forgets and, obviously, the Heat don’t either. They pulled this meme out as the perfect victory cigar.
Fans absolutely loved to see it. Well, unless they were Knicks fans. They did not love to see it. At all. The rest of us, though? Yeah, we were good with this.
KD. DON’T YOU REGRET NOT COMING TO THE KNIIIIIICKS?
Remember the bing bong Knicks days? Good times, right? Well, they’re officially back after New York notched a home playoff win. It was a dominant one, too — the Knicks won 99-79.
Not only did New York lock the Cavaliers up and hold them under 80 points, but the Knicks also beat them by 20. It was New York’s first 20-point playoff win since 2013.
So, yeah. Knicks fans were feeling pretty good out there on Friday night. It doesn’t take much for New York to pour out into the streets and celebrate a Knicks win, so you know fans got right to it after this one.
One of those fans was the bing bong guy. Y’all remember him? The one that trolled Kevin Durant way back when? Well, even if you don’t, just know he’s back at it.
KD. DON’T YOU REGRET NOT COMING TO THE KNIIIIIIICKS.
Warning: There is some NSFW language in this tweet
Man. Asking KD that right now is wild considering he’s on the opposite coast now. I’m not sure the guy is thinking about New York anymore, let alone the Knicks.
But still, this is hilarious, man. These folks are relentless. You absolutely love to see it if you’re not a Cavaliers fan.
If the Knicks win this series? Whew. These fans might actually start floating. We’ll see. The Cavaliers have some work to do.
Following a dominant win over the New York Knicks, NBA Twitter reacts to the team’s 27-point victory over Julius Randle and company.
The Brooklyn Nets earned a huge dominant victory over the New York Knicks on Wednesday evening, beating the Knicks 112-85 at Barclays Center.
Superstar Kevin Durant earned his 17th career triple-double against tristate rival, New York. He shot an efficient 52% from the floor, snatching a dozen boards and dishing out a dozen assists to go along with 29 points on the night. Young talent Edmond Suner really showed out for the Nets, racking up 18 points, five boards, and a couple of steals while Seth Curry added a needed 23 points.
Coach Jacque Vaughn reacts to the team’s big win, “I think we really came out with the right mindset, that first group really got us our established wheel, we picked up full court, really tried to put an imprint on the game. Then guys just filtered in off the bench and had an impact.”
Here’s what players, fans, and analysts were saying after Wednesday’s dominant win:
Obi Toppin is ready for another appearance in the dunk contest
You know how it goes with Knicks fans, man. They will be absolutely over the moon about nearly anything remotely positive that happens to their team. Remember their reaction after the first win of the season last year against the Celtics? Good times. Goooood times.
Today, though, they actually have something to be extremely pumped about. Obi Toppin just made one of the coolest back-to-back plays we’re probably going to see all year long and the regular season hasn’t even started yet.
Toppin blocked a 3-pointer on one end which is already generally super hard to do. But then, he followed that up by pulling out an East Bay dunk mid-game.
HBO just dropped the latest trailer for its “Linsanity” documentary, 38 at the Garden.
HBO just realeased a new trailer for its latest documentary “38 at the Garden,” a piece chronicling former NBA point guard Jeremy Lin and his heralded run during the 2012 season. The film is set to premiere on Oct. 11 on HBO Max.
HBO bought the film this summer following its successful screening at the Tribeca Film Festival. In addition to revisiting the magic that was “Linsanity,” the documentary explores Lin’s effect on Asian-Americans and fans overseas.
The film is a conversation between Lin and comedian Hasan Minhaj and features journalists Lisa Ling and Pablo Torre, according to Deadline. Former Knicks teammates Tyson Chandler and Iman Shumpert also share their memories of that season.
HBO shared the latest trailer for “38 at the Garden” below. Long live Linsanity.
The legacy of Linsanity.#38AtTheGarden, an original documentary that chronicles the extraordinary ascendence of point guard Jeremy Lin during his landmark 2012 season with the New York Knicks, premieres October 11 on @hbomax. pic.twitter.com/S8HwLAVZjp
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What’s good, family? It’s Sykes here with another edition of Layup Lines. And, yes, I’m still stuck on the Knicks.
The Donovan Mitchell trade is done — he’s a Cleveland Cavalier now. They’re almost certainly going to be one of the top 6 teams in the Eastern Conference and have a legitimate shot at homecourt advantage in the playoffs.
But the biggest story here doesn’t feel like it’s what the Cavaliers did. Rather, it’s what the Knicks didn’t do.
For weeks now, the Jazz and Knicks have been flirting with each other surrounding a possible Mitchell trade. Everyone knew the Knicks had the assets to get it done. Everyone knew the Jazz wanted their plethora of picks.
We all just knew it was going to happen. But it didn’t. And Knicks fans everywhere —including Stephen A. Smith — are devastated.
But now it’s time to move on. It’s time to figure out what’s next. And the team has done a solid job of at least getting that started by extending RJ Barrett. But there’s still a large question looming ahead for New York. And that question is: What in the world are they going to do with all those draft picks?
New York currently has 7 1st round picks between the 2023 and 2025 NBA drafts. That’s a pretty good spot to be in, to be sure. But there’s absolutely no way they’re rostering that many 1st round picks over the next 3 years — especially not with 4 of them coming in 2023.
The Knicks are trying to compete. They want to make the playoffs and they want to be taken seriously. That’s why they extended Barrett. That’s why Tom Thibodeau is still their head coach.
Having 4 rookies on one roster resets their timeline and that’s not where they’re at. Not even close.
They didn’t make the Mitchell move, but they’re going to have to do something. It’s easy to say they can just wait for the next disgruntled superstar to come up, but that isn’t something that just happens. It’s not common practice. And, even when it does happen, there’s no guarantee the Knicks will be able to snag him.
They could flip the picks again. Just kick the can even further down the road as they continue to build this thing out. And that’s not a bad idea. But it doesn’t help the team get much better in the short term the way they seem to want it to.
There’s no easy answer here. But, all in all, it’s not a bad position to be in. They’ll just have to figure it out. Good luck to Knicks fans as they watch their team navigate through this all.
We know how patient they are.
The Tip-Off
Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.
(AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Speaking of the Mitchell trade, man, the Jazz made off like some bandits. They’re in complete teardown mode, obviously, and they’re not done. There’s plenty more talent to ship out.
In the meantime, their cupboard is filled with a nice stockpile of draft picks and prospects, as my colleague, Bryan Kalbrosky, pointed out here.
“Not only do they have a ton of draft picks in their cupboard but they also have the opportunity to add to that by continuing to clean out their roster.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski noted that Bojan Bogdanovic, Jordan Clarkson, and Mike Conley could all net more draft picks from contenders. Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt, both included in the trade for Gobert, could potentially get moved for more picks as well.”
Bryan also laid out all their assets over the next few years and it’s a ton. Go check it out. They’re really giving the Thunder a run for their money.
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