School might be closed for summer vacation, but they’re handing out grades over at Bleacher Report. In Grant Hughes’ re-evaluation of 2024’s biggest NBA moves, the Knicks appear three times, and only one of those grades is on the sunny side.
Let’s start with the good: Jalen Brunson’s four-year, $156.5 million extension earned an A, and rightfully so.
Coming off a career year (28.7 PPG, fifth in MVP voting) and a historic playoff run, Brunson could have waited and cashed in for $269 million. Instead,
he took a pay cut, giving the Knicks flexibility and potentially setting a tone for future deals (like Mikal Bridges’ rumored below-market extension). This was a clear win; no disagreements here.
Next up is New York’s blockbuster deal for Karl-Anthony Towns, which netted them a C-minus. In the swap, the Knicks gave up Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Keita Bates-Diop, and a 2025 first-rounder that became Joan Beringer.
Let’s remember this: The 2024 offseason found New York in a bind. Isaiah Hartenstein had joined Oklahoma City in free agency, and Mitchell Robinson was expected to miss significant time after surgery. With only Jericho Sims and Precious Achiuwa available at center, New York lacked a viable starting big for a team with title aspirations. The 28-year-old (at the time) Towns, a skilled offensive center who’s likely to land in the Hall of Fame, addressed that hole while offering floor spacing to complement Brunson, OG Anunoby, and Bridges.
Remember, too, that Randle (on an expiring deal) was eligible for a four-year, $181.5 million extension. Talks reportedly stalled, with the Knicks unwilling to commit max money to a player with a shaky injury history and inconsistent playoff résumé. Trading Randle, whose $28.9 million salary was set to expire, for Towns and his escalating contract (peaking at $61 million in the 2027-28 season) was a bet on positional fit and long-term roster control.
The deal made sense. Towns was a better stylistic fit beside Brunson than the dribble the air out of the ball Randle. So far, the pairing of New York’s two superstars hasn’t fully paid off. Though Towns and Captain Clutch posted strong regular-season numbers, their combined effectiveness faltered in the playoffs, where defenses targeted their pick-and-roll coverage.
Meanwhile, Randle was his usual erratic self in Minnesota: some exhilarating highs, some maddening disappearances. You remember that, right?
Whether Towns ultimately delivers on the vision remains an open question. I don’t know many Knicks fans who would call a mulligan on the trade and take Randle back for KAT. Towns averaged 24.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game over 72 games as a Knick, with a field goal percentage of 53% and a three-point percentage of 42%. He was also selected for his fifth All-Star game and All-NBA team. The Knicks reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years.
C-minus? Try again, Linus.
And then there’s the Mikal Bridges megadeal. In it, the Knicks received Mikal Bridges and a 2026 second-round pick in the deal, while the Brooklyn Nets acquired Bojan Bogdanović, Shake Milton (via a three-year, $9 million sign-and-trade), Mamadi Diakite, four unprotected Knicks first-round picks (2025, 2027, 2029, 2031), a protected 2025 first-round pick from the Milwaukee Bucks, an unprotected 2028 pick swap, and a 2025 second-round pick.
Bleacher Report scored that move a D-minus.
While Bridges’ versatile game fits the Knicks’ culture—and his reunion with fellow championship-winning Villanova alum Brunson and Josh Hart made for a sweet story—his numbers dipped (17.6 PPG on 35% from three). Now Leon Rose & Co. face the awkward question of whether to extend him for $156M or risk losing him (or overpaying) in 2026 free agency.
Was the deal a bust? Hardly. Sam Quinn of CBS Sports said this about the Bridges trade:
“The Bridges trade is going to be relitigated for years. Every time a better player is moved for a lesser or equal price, there will be questions about whether the Knicks were wrong to trade for Bridges. That criticism will be at its loudest whenever Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future is settled and, on some level, it’s warranted.”
That comes from an article in which Quinn ranks the NBA’s front offices. (He placed the Knicks sixth, btw.) Quinn concludes, “It would be hard to call that trade a loss. The Bridges trade got the Knicks within six wins of the title.”
Hardly sounds like a D-minus trade when put in that context, no?
Bleacher Report’s Final Tally
- Brunson Extension: A
- Towns Trade: C-
- Bridges Trade: D-
What do you think about those grades? Air it out below.
Go Knicks.
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