Have The Knicks Offseason Moves Been Way Too Aggressive? Only Time Will Tell

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I’ve been a fan of the New York Knicks for over two sad, dark and lonely decades. In that span, the Knicks missed the playoffs in 14 seasons and have never advanced past the 2nd round of the playoffs. It's been over HALF A CENTURY since the Knicks won a championship.

This is why I couldn’t care less about anyone and everyone that thinks the Knicks have been way too aggressive this offseason. The fact of the matter is, this city and franchise are beyond desperate for a championship. This past season proved they are contenders, so why the hell wouldn’t the front office be in win-now mode?

Let’s break down the Knicks two offseason moves.

New York Knicks acquired Mikal Bridges and a second-round pick from the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Bojan Bogdanovic, 6 first-round picks and a 2025 second-round pick

Why people are saying this was a bad move for the Knicks: Mikal Bridges is not worth 6 first-round picks, hell if I am being honest, he might not be worth half those picks. Bridges has never made an All-Star team and his level of play took a pretty steep decline after the All-Star break this past season. If Bridges is not a fit in New York, this trade will be a mega bust.

Why I think it was worth the risk: Let’s state the obvious first. Bridges becoming a Knick now reunites him with former Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo. These four players played crucial roles in securing two championships within three seasons for the Wildcats.You can’t measure the importance of on-court chemistry. Anyone who has ever played basketball knows once you develop chemistry with someone on the hardwood, it never goes away.

Also, I don’t care if Mikal Bridges was never an All-Star, he’s a very balanced player. Last year with the Brooklyn Nets, Bridges averaged 19.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 3.6 apg. Where Bridges really shows up is on defense, being named to the 2022 NBA All-Defensive First Team, he’s a lock down wing defender and is a perfect fit for Tom Thibodeau’s aggressive, in your face defensive scheme.

Oh, I forgot to mention, Mikal Bridges is also made of steel. Bridges has played in 461 CONSECUTIVE REGULAR SEASON GAMES. That is the longest active streak in the NBA by landslide and a half. For context, Harrison Barnes is currently second in the league in most consecutive games played…at 207.

OG Anunoby signed a five-year, $212.5 million contract to stay with Knicks

Why people are saying this was a bad move for the Knicks: They overpaid OG. Front offices around the league predicted you would have to put up about $32-35 million a year to sign Anunoby. The Knicks are going to be paying him an average of $42.5 million. Unlike Bridges, OG has a slightly concerning injury resume, as he has not played in more than 70 games in a regular season since he was a rookie back in 2017-2018. Definitely a risky signing for someone who has never made an All-Star game and will be making more money than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander next season.

Why I think it was worth the risk: It’s not like OG has never played for the Knicks before. OG played 23 regular season games for New York last season and averaged 15.3 ppg on 48.8% shooting and 40% from deep. When OG, Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle were on the court together last year, they were 12-2. This is a large enough sample size for me to confidently say OG is a great fit for this roster.

Like his new counterpart Bridges, OG shines on defense. OG was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2023, in addition to leading the league in steals that season. OG was the best perimeter defender on the Knicks last season by a long shot.

It’s important to note, in the NBA, player salaries reflect the league's insanely rapid revenue growth, so what might seem like an overpaid contract today, could quickly become justified or even undervalued in just a few years. Especially if OG continues to improve as a player.

Here is the bottom line: Only time will tell if the Knicks used too many picks on Bridges and if they spent too much money on OG. In my eyes, if the Knicks hoist a Larry O’ Brien trophy in the next two seasons, both of these acquisitions were no-brainers. If the Knicks fail to achieve championship success by the summer of 2026 (when Bridges' contract expires), they will likely continue to be viewed as a laughingstock of a franchise and I will continue to soak in misery as an NBA fan. All I can do now is hope the basketball gods are on New York’s side.