Rumor: NBA execs view Thunder as popular destination for Isaiah Hartenstein.
The New York Knicks made a blockbuster deal with the Brooklyn Nets when they shipped an attractive package of draft capital for Mikal Bridges.
The deal immediately makes the Knicks a serious contender next season — especially if they also keep OG Anunoby. A ripple effect of that trade might be the departure of impending free agent Isaiah Hartenstein.
The 26-year-old was likely already out of New York’s price range. Acquiring Bridges might’ve shut the door. He’s expected to have a hefty payday this offseason. He was awesome for the Knicks and slid into their starting lineup when Mitchell Robinson was out.
In 75 games last season, Hartenstein averaged 7.8 points on 64.4% shooting, 8.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks. He was a starter for the Knicks in their playoff run.
If Hartenstein leaves, one possibility is the Oklahoma City Thunder. The youngest first seed in league history has been thought of as a perfect fit for the seven-footer.
He’d be a great backup center who could help on the boards and size. The Thunder lacked a traditional backup big on their roster last season. Hartenstein immediately fixes that hole.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Thunder are seen as one of the two more popular choices on who could land Hartenstein. OKC could offer the veteran a lofty, two-year deal considering they have over $30 million in cap space to spend this summer.
A short-term deal is a seamless slide for the Thunder’s payroll as the inevitable extensions of Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams won’t kick in until the 2026-27 season.
“Orlando and Oklahoma City continue to be teams cited most often by rival executives when forecasting Hartenstein’s likely suitors in free agency. Let’s see, though, who the Thunder select at No. 12. Just thinking out loud: That is Zach Edey’s range … right?”
Adding Alex Caruso was a clear signal that the Thunder are ready to make win-now moves. They smashed open a championship window last season and have plenty of runway with this core.
Check out Duke Wire’s final prediction for Kyle Filipowski in Wednesday’s NBA draft here.
By almost every account, former Duke basketball star [autotag]Kyle Filipowski[/autotag] will be on an NBA team by the end of Wednesday night.
The first round of the 2024 NBA draft gets underway on Wednesday, and while ESPN Analytics says Filipowski is not a guarantee to go within the first 30 selections, the odds are heavily in his favor. DraftKings Sportsbook reflects the sentiment that any one of a dozen teams could end up writing his name on the card, but which one will?
Duke Wire already laid out his five most likely destinations here (and ranked his five ideal destinations here). However, with just a few hours before the Atlanta Hawks come on the clock with the first overall pick, we’ve read the tea leaves and we’re ready to make our official prediction. By Thursday morning, Kyle Filipowski will be a member of…
…the New York Knicks.
The Knicks made a huge splash on Tuesday with a blockbuster trade for Brooklyn Nets star Mikal Bridges. However, 7-footer Isaiah Hartenstein remains set for the free market after his contract expired, and Bridges makes the finances of bringing Bridges back a little more complicated.
Enter Filipowski, another 7-footer who also averaged more than eight rebounds per game last season. The Knicks, without Hartenstein, also desperately need height. Bridges is 6-foot-6, All-NBA star Jalen Brunson is 6-foot-2, Josh Hart is 6-foot-4, and Donte DiVincenzo is 6-foot-4, and they’ll likely all see the court at once for long stretches if they aren’t all in the starting lineup.
The Knicks also have two draft picks late in the first round on Wednesday, going 24th and 25th on the board. If Duke fans look at DraftKings, Filipowski is the favorite at both spots.
If you want to get overly specific, I think the Knicks pick Filipowski with the 25th overall pick. Either way, however, I think he’ll be in the Big Apple next season.
DraftKings has some lines for Kyle Filipowski with the NBA draft just hours away, and one team shows up as the major favorite.
The NBA draft will get underway on Wednesday evening with the first 30 names finally coming off the board, and the odds think former Duke basketball star [autotag]Kyle Filipowski[/autotag] will get a new hat and the chance to walk across the stage.
According to the DraftKings Sportsbook, as of Wednesday afternoon around 1:30 p.m., one specific team late in the first round seems like Filipowski’s presumed suitor.
The New York Knicks, who made a splash on Tuesday night with a trade for Brooklyn Nets star Mikal Bridges, own back-to-back picks at 24th and 25th overall, and Filipowski has the lowest odds for both selections.
He’s still not an overwhelming favorite for either spot, hovering between +400 and +600 in both spots. ESPN Analytics supports the idea that Filipowski could go literally anywhere, including having to wait until the second round on Thursday. But DraftKings thinks no better has a better chance to end up in the Big Apple.
[gambcom-standard rankid=”3005″]
Here are the most likely destinations for Filipowski, ranked by his lowest odds on DraftKings.
Odds
25th overall (New York Knicks)
+450
24th overall (New York Knicks)
+550
18th overall (Orlando Magic)
+900
20th overall (Cleveland Cavaliers)
+1000
22nd overall (Phoenix Suns)
+1000
23rd overall (Milwaukee Bucks)
+1100
19th overall (Toronto Raptors)
+1400
17th overall (Los Angeles Lakers)
+1500
21st overall (New Orleans Pelicans)
+1500
28th overall (Denver Nuggets)
+1600
[gambcom-standard rankid=”5″]
Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire
Gooood morning, Winners! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thanks so much for rocking with us today. We appreciate you giving us a bit of your time.
It’s barely been a week since the Celtics won a title and teams around the NBA are already reshuffling the decks. The Knicks are the deckmasters right now.
New York offered up a king’s ransom to the Nets for Mikal Bridges, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Now, he’s changing boroughs.
The Knicks are reportedly trading five first-round picks, including four unprotected first-rounders (2025, 2027, 2029, 2031), a protected 2025 first-round pick from the Bucks, a 2028 unprotected pick swap and a 2025 second-round pick for Bridges.
We just watched the NBA’s first case of live, successful tampering with Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson coaxing their former college teammate to New York. Bridges reportedly requested a trade to the Knicks and the Nets acquiesced. They’re all richer in draft picks today. Because of this deal, Brooklyn now has 16 first-round picks through 2031.
Not only is that an offer no one else could beat, but I’m not sure how many teams were willing to put up an offer like this one for Bridges.
We’re talking about a slew of first-round picks for a guy who has never made an All-Star or an All-NBA team. That’s kind of unprecedented. Even Dejounte Murray was an All-Star when the Hawks traded half of what the Knicks traded for him.
But it doesn’t matter. If the Knicks feel like they’re that close to title contention and believe Bridges can get them over the hump, then you make this trade 10 times out of 10.
What matters is New York got its guy. The team is loving it. And, if the team can keep OG Anunoby, the Knicks emerge as a legitimate threat to the Celtics’ mantle at the top of the Eastern Conference. That’s the priority.
Say what you want about the price, but the Nova Knicks are here. And, boy, does it feel like this is going to be fun.
Don’t take the Lynx lightly
Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
The Minnesota Lynx always feel like a forgotten team when talking about contenders in the WNBA this season.
It’s always about what the Liberty are doing. Everyone is waiting for the Las Vegas Aces to step things up. The Connecticut Sun have a great record but continue to struggle against good teams.
But the Lynx are just chugging right along and look every bit as good — maybe even better! — than all the teams mentioned above.
Minnesota won the WNBA’s Commissioner’s Cup on Tuesday with a win over the Liberty.
This win technically doesn’t count for Minnesota’s overall record on the season since it’s the Commissioner’s Cup championship, but the Lynx have won seven straight games dating back to June 9. That includes wins over the Seattle Storm, the Aces, the Phoenix Mercury and, now, the Liberty.
This is still a long season — we’re not even halfway through. But I’m telling you now, Napheesa Collier and the Minnesota Lynx will be a force come playoff time. Just wait on it.
Messi, are you OK?
Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports
Argentina won its Copa América matchup against Chile on Tuesday for its second group-stage win. But in the long-term, it might have suffered an even bigger loss.
Lionel Messi seemed to have somehow injured his groin/adductor area during the match. He spoke about it after the game to reporters, saying “I didn’t feel a puncture or a tear, but I did find it difficult to move freely.”
Though he finished the match, hearing him talk like that after it is mildly concerning.
With the win, though, Argentina has an out to rest Messi if needed for their next game against Peru on Saturday. Here’s USA Today’s Safid Deen with more:
“Argentina’s win was great for them. They have six points after two matches in Group A, and clinched a trip to the quarterfinals. With Canada in second with three points, and Chile and Peru at the bottom of the group with one point apiece, Argentina can be conservative. They can use the Peru match to give players like Messi some rest for the stretch run, and others an opportunity to play.”
We’ll see how it goes. Hopefully, this is just a scare and nothing more.
Quick hits: OH! That’s right. The NBA Draft is tonight … Jay Wright is thrilled … and more
The Knicks traded for Mikal Bridges on Tuesday night, recreating the team that lost to the Wisconsin Badgers in the 2017 NCAA Tournament:
The New York Knicks made a blockbuster trade on Tuesday night, acquiring star forward Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets for a deal highlighted by five first-round picks.
The trade, in essence, makes the Knicks the Villanova Wildcats of the NBA. The team is now led by former Villanova stars Bridges, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo.
The reaction to the trade on X mostly revolved around the Knicks ‘recreating Villanova’s 2016 national championship-winning team.’ Many point to that title win as the last time these four players shared a court.
But that is not the case.
The Knicks’ blockbuster trade actually recreated the 2016-17 Villanova Wildcats team that was a No. 1 seed in the 2017 NCAA Tournament, but lost 65-62 to the Wisconsin Badgers.
That day saw Nigel Hayes lead the 8-seed Badgers with 19 points, 8 rebounds and the game’s deciding basket:
He was guarded by Villanova’s Mikal Bridges, the newest member of the New York Knicks.
Wisconsin handed Villanova its only NCAA Tournament loss in a three-year period, as the Wildcats went on to win the national championship again in 2018. Another note: this game punched the Badgers’ ticket to the Sweet Sixteen, a round the program has been unable to reach since that date.
Here is a full look back at Wisconsin’s big win over the Wildcats — or, now the Knicks:
But then there’s also some chatter: what if the Knicks could somehow hire former Villanova coach Jay Wright to complete the recreation of a title-winning team?
Obviously, it’s not happening as the assumption is that they’ll hand Tom Thibodeau the bag he deserves to coach this contender. But here’s something delightful: Wright posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday morning to address the trade and he talked about how it’s “blessed” that they’re together again, which is wonderful.
That included a post on X (formerly Twitter) from Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo that we can only assume is joking, with just three words aimed at Brunson and Hart: “Y’all was tampering!”
Indeed, Bridges will join his old Nova teammates Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo with the New York Knicks, which instantly makes them one of the most enjoyable and dangerous NBA teams going into next season.
Soon after the news broke on Tuesday night, all four of the former Villanova teammates got on a group call right to discuss their reunion.
Hart shared an absolutely delightful image on Twitter (X) of the four friends all celebrating their reunion, with Bridges the final piece of the puzzle to put all of these old pals back together again.
Per Ian Begley of SNY, Mikal Bridges informed the Brooklyn Nets earlier this week of his intention to be a part of the New York Knicks.
The Brooklyn Nets had been of the idea that they were going to have a soft rebuild with Mikal Bridges being the player that they paired with a star that came to Brooklyn. However, as more reporting comes out surrounding the trade of Bridges to the New York Knicks, it looks like he’s the one who wanted out.
Per Ian Begley of SNY on Tuesday, Bridges informed the Nets earlier this week that he wanted to be a part of the New York Knicks at some point. The Knicks were recently reported by Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports to be one of the teams inquiring about Bridges as we approached the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft that begins on Wednesday.
Begley reported further that the deal between Brooklyn and New York came together quickly after Bridges told the Nets of his intentions to be with the Knicks one way or another. “Bridges was prepared to sign with NYK and his side was prepared to use that leverage to keep other teams from trading for him, per SNY sources,” Begley wrote on X.
The story goes even deeper as Begley wrote that Bridges and his representation was willing to make things harder for the Nets to trade him anywhere but the Knicks as he was trying to get his way.
With all of that being said, the Nets received quite the haul for Bridges as they got forward Bojan Bogdanovic, five first-round picks, a pick swap, and a second-round pick for someone that acquired less than two years ago in a package for Kevin Durant.
With all of the questions surrounding the Nets in terms of the management structure after James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant all requested trades within one year of each other, this will only increase the chatter about players wanting to play for Brooklyn.
This is something that I wasn't expecting to see. It looks like after everything that happened this past season, Mikal Bridges reportedly told the Nets that he wanted to be with the Knicks. There was a lot of speculation about this on Nets Twitter and those people were right. https://t.co/dHU1pgyHmm
— Sharif Phillips-Keaton (@SharifKeaton) June 26, 2024
The Mikal Bridges deal came together quickly after Bridges informed the Nets that he wanted to be a Knick. Bridges was prepared to sign with NYK and his side was prepared to use that leverage to keep other teams from trading for him, per SNY sources.
Nets surely didn’t want to trade Mikal Bridges to NYK but Bridges’ side was prepared to force the issue by telling teams he wanted to be w/NYK, per SNY sources. Bridges’ side made it clear to BKN that he wanted to be w/NYK, reunite w/Villanova teammates Brunson, Hart, DiVincenzo
Bridges and his reunited Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart shared their excitement on Twitter (X) as soon as the trade news broke, as the three all played college basketball together at Nova.
The three, along with fellow Villanova/Knicks teammate Donte DiVincenzo, will now get a chance to push for an NBA title in the Big Apple, and we bet all four of the NBA standouts will relish the chance to play with each other once again.
You can tell by these reactions how excited all of these guys are to reunite.
