It’s Monday, but don’t worry, you can work today and call your boss asking for a day off on Tuesday. Good enough reason to pitch him: the NBA’s free agency starts tomorrow, and as things stand, the Knicks have no backup center nor many other bench players in their books. Gotta follow it!
- Mitchell Robinson’s future continues to dominate the Knicks conversation. With everybody focused on who New York might target in free agency, Sports Illustrated took the long road and floated 10 possible trade targets for Leon Rose to consider, noting the Knicks could package pieces like Deuce McBride’s expiring contract, Pacome Dadiet’s warm body, young backup point guard Tyler Kolek and a bunch of draft picks to acquire a younger, cheaper, team-controlled center with a bit more run than one of their reported UFA targets. A sample around a player, most around the P&T comments section seem to love:
“Yvess Missi: I mentioned Missi as a target earlier in the week, and the Knicks were rumored to be interested in the 25-year-old big man at the trade deadline. He is under contract next year for a friendly number
of $3.5 million with a $5.6 million team option for 2027-28. This season with the Pelicans, the former first-round pick averaged 5.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 19.7 minutes (66 games/14 starts). His production dipped because of the emergence of rookie Derik Queen and Karlo Matkovic. It is a stark contrast to what he did as a rookie in 2024-25, where Missi averaged 9.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 26.8 minutes per game (73 games/67 starts). Nonetheless, Missi still has a ton of upside and could step in immediately in Robinson’s role.”
- Metta World Peace appeared on ‘Sharing the WELLth’ a couple of weeks ago, and he officially ruled himself out of any Knicks coaching dreams after declaring himself available for the job a year ago when Thibs was axed. The former St. John’s standout and NBA champion said he has no interest in taking jobs where management dictates his coaching staff (Rick Brunson shot?), insisting he’d only return to coaching if given complete control over assembling his own assistants.
“I’m not letting nobody place my staff because I’m coming to dominate. As I’m coming to dominate, I’m going to need to pick my own style.”
- The artist formerly known as Ron Artest also reflected on the Malice at the Palace more than 20 years later, admitting the incident taught him about self-control, even if he still isn’t sure how differently he would’ve handled it as a young player. Always worth listening to Ron Ron.
- I appreciate Artest’s story so much that I wrote a very personal essay around five years ago following the release of Netflix’s Untold episode on the whole Malice at the Palace thing. Check out the doc, it’s dope.
- The Warriors continue chasing blockbusters and trying to become the latest installment of The Expendables. Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin O’Connor dropped the bomb on Sunday, reporting that Golden State is working on a trade for Wizards’ Anthony Davis so the Brow and Steph can lure LeBron James to the Bay.
- KOC broke the news on something much more feasible, this time involving once-Grizzlies-franchise-player Ja Morant. Get ready, because according to O’Connor, league sources expect Morant to be traded this week.
“Sources say the Heat had interest in Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant before the Giannis deal, but there is not much expectation that he will get bought out. In fact, league sources expect Morant to be traded this week.”
- Jaylen Brown rumors refuse to disappear, and now Boston Sports Guy Bill Simmons is reporting that “the word on the street” is that people around Brown in France at the Cannes festival got the impression the Celtics star already looks mentally checked out from Boston.
- Kawhi Leonard’s future is shaping into the biggest story to watch this week, if not the offseason, after Giannis was dealt even before the draft started. Both Marc Stein and Jake Fischer wrote a whole lot about the situation and how the Clippers and the Raptors are already engaged in trade talks involving Brandon Ingram, as Toronto doesn’t want to part ways with OAKAAK RJ Barrett. Sportsnet confirmed the talks for a reunion north of the border are indeed ongoing.
- Stein, appearing on the ALL NBA Podcast, added more information, saying that the Clippers want more than Ingram, Gradey Dick, and some draft compensation as the framework of a potential package for Kawhi. According to Stein, “the message has been transmitted that Kawhi is open to doing an extension if he were traded to his two previous teams, Toronto and San Antonio.” Most importantly, before you get too excited, Stein made it clear “Kawhi Leonard’s preference is to stay with the Clippers. And the Clippers would prefer to keep him.”
- In other news, the no-cap Heat like “Landry Shamet, Anfernee Simons, and Quentin Grimes, among others,” but would likely only have the money for Mike Conley or Tim Hardaway Jr.
