It’s a question New York Knicks fans and longtime owner James Dolan have to ask themselves: Who do you want running the Knicks: Leon Rose the agent or Leon Rose the exec?
Because this Knicks team faces some difficult decisions this summer, and the most seismic ones revolve around clients of CAA, the agency that Rose used to run, starting with Karl-Anthony Towns.
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Rose’s deep ties to CAA, as I detailed in depth back in October, helped push New York to the doorstep of the NBA Finals. Last summer, the Knicks president most notably acquired Towns, who was once Rose’s top-earning client among a star-studded fleet of athletes when Rose was an agent.
Among league insiders, the Knicks’ loyalty to CAA has been one of the strongest undercurrents of the NBA landscape. The Knicks spent more money toward one player agency than any team in the NBA this season, funneling nearly $130 million to CAA clients Towns, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson. The ties between Towns and William “Worldwide Wes” Wesley, Rose’s right-hand man in the Knicks’ front office, go back over a decade. And then there’s the future of Tom Thibodeau, another long-time CAA client, who expertly engineered a series win over the Boston Celtics, but fell short of the NBA Finals for the 10th time in 10 postseason appearances as an NBA head coach.
Upgrading the Knicks will test those time-honored bonds. If the franchise wants to end the fifth-longest active title drought in the NBA, it will probably mean parting with one or more of those cherished clients.
It almost certainly would be the case if they want any chance in a potential Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes this summer.
The Knicks’ Big Five was exposed against the Pacers. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
(Gregory Shamus via Getty Images)
The Towns Conundrum
It’s clear that Towns, a Jersey native, wears the Knicks’ orange-and-blue jersey with pride. He powered through a knee injury in the Eastern Conference finals, averaging 24.8 points and 12.2 rebounds while keeping his foul tendencies in check for much of the series. His scoring surges, particularly in Game 5, carried the Knicks for long stretches.
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But he couldn’t defend. The Indiana Pacers preyed on the glaring weakness all series. He was noticeably absent in transition. On the perimeter, he was hopeless. In the paint, he was punchless. In the six games, the 7-foot Towns registered one block. It’s the first time since blocks became an official stat in the 1970s that a center registered one block or fewer in the conference finals while playing at least 200 minutes in the series, per Stathead.com tracking. That can’t happen.
All season long, Towns anchored the Knicks’ vaunted starting lineup featuring Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Hart, and Anunoby, but the Pacers absolutely shredded them in the Eastern Conference finals. So much so that the notoriously stubborn Thibodeau was forced to pull the plug and move Mitchell Robinson into the starting lineup in Game 3.
The fact is the Knicks just spent $152 million on a lineup that yielded the second-worst defense in the conference finals since NBA lineup tracking began in 2008. The lineup of Brunson, Bridges, Hart, Anunoby and Towns hemorrhaged 126.1 points per 100 possessions to the Pacers, the second-most points allowed per possession among the 63 lineups with at least 50 minutes played in the last 18 conference finals.
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The only conference finals lineup that was torched to a larger degree was the 2016 Toronto Raptors defense — a lineup that was promptly overhauled the following offseason. It’s hard to imagine the Knicks avoiding a similar overhaul and still getting to the Finals one day. This season, the Knicks’ Big Five made a collective $152 million, making it one of the most expensive units in the league. Next season, the bill will only swell more, when the Knicks will pay out $172 million to keep together that five-man group, which was outscored by a collective 31 points this postseason.
The root of the problem is that Brunson and Towns are one-way superstars. To get to the Finals, a team can cover up one of those defensive liabilities, but it’s almost impossible to hide both. It’s easier to shield a point guard on that end of the floor, but not a 7-footer who plays like he’s a foot shorter. As a reminder, Towns went the entire conference finals last year without registering a single block — and the Wolves subsequently traded away their former No. 1 overall pick.
And so Rose and the Knicks will have to think long and hard about breaking up their Big Five. Here are three trade proposals to consider this summer.
The Giannis trade
New York receives: Giannis Antetokounmpo
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Milwaukee receives: Karl-Anthony Towns, Tyler Kolek, Washington’s 2026 protected first-round pick and two first-round pick swaps (2026 and 2030).
You thought convincing Brunson to take a sweetheart deal was hard? That’s nothing compared to what Rose would have to do to force his way into a potential Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes and win it.
Convincing the two-time MVP that the Knicks are the go-to destination for him — without tampering, of course! — is the only way a trade gets done. Because Antetokounmpo certainly won’t be traded to the Knicks because they have the best trade offer.
Here’s the pitch: Is there a clearer path to the Finals than on a Knicks team with Brunson?
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Think about it. Antetokounmpo is an ideal complementary star for the offensively electric but defensively challenged Brunson. The Celtics would have trouble courting the Greek Freak after Jayson Tatum suffered the same devastating injury as his current Bucks teammate Damian Lillard, a torn Achilles. Cleveland hasn’t gotten out of the second-round with its core. The Pacers could make a case, but is Giannis someone who’d pry his way out of Milwaukee to go to the bitter-rival Indiana? Would Indiana, which just made the Finals without him, even listen? (I would, for the record.)
The Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs — I could probably add a few others – would easily lap New York in trade packages, but that wouldn’t matter if Antetokounmpo sees a loaded Western Conference as a minefield for championship quests.
The East is Giannis’ safest choice. The Knicks can flaunt that they were two wins from the Finals and are armed with a wing core entering its prime to surround Antetokounmpo with help. What makes this trickier is that Giannis is an Octagon client, not a CAA one, so communicating the Knicks’ vision will be challenging when the family isn’t inside Antetokounmpo’s circle. (Reminder: Rose’s son, Sam, is Brunson’s agent.)
But once Giannis has his eyes set on MSG, that’s only half the battle. Rose then has to convince the rest of the marketplace that Antetokounmpo won’t be happy or sign an extension in any non-Knick destination. Doing that will help ensure that the Knicks’ offer will float to the top of the pile and be palatable for Milwaukee GM Jon Horst. The scare tactic could make organizations leery of forking over their top assets to Milwaukee.
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At this point, you’re probably thinking, why in the world would Horst accept that deal? The only true first-round pick that the Knicks have to offer — the Wizards’ 2026 first-round pick — is top-8 protected and will turn into two future second-rounders if Washington miraculously doesn’t stink up the joint next season. The Knicks could swap their own 2026 and 2030 picks, but how valuable is that asset when the team employs Brunson and Antetokounmpo?
But let’s look at this another way: Check out the Bucks’ picks going forward. They don’t have control over their next six first-round picks. Tanking is useless. If they’re bad, others reap the benefits. The two best options for the Bucks are: a) to trade Antetokounmpo to New Orleans or Portland to restore their draft picks; or b) stay competitive.
Horst’s top priority has to be getting their picks back from the Lillard and Holiday trades, but that might prove difficult considering that those picks only become more valuable if Giannis leaves. Staying competitive would be the next-best option. How many of the 15 All-NBA players will become available this offseason (and not be recovering from a torn Achilles)? Towns may prove to be the best of the lot.
So, let’s say Rose pulls it off and (legally) convinces Antetokounmpo that New York is his best option. Let’s also say that the Knicks successfully scare away the rest of his suitors.
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Great. But for Rose, the hard work isn’t done. Turning his back on Towns might prove to be the biggest challenge of them all.
The KD Trade
Knicks receive: Kevin Durant, Richaun Holmes
Suns receive: Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks’ first-round swap in 2030
Wizards receive: Miles McBride, Josh Hart, own 2026 first (top-8 protected)
The Knicks add an all-time great for their title chase. Towns reunites with Devin Booker in Phoenix. The Wizards … well, they help grease the wheels.
The aprons make it difficult for the Suns and Knicks to swap KD for KAT straight-up due to their contracts not aligning perfectly. Hence, why Washington gets involved, adding 24-year-old Deuce McBride and regaining its full 2026 first-round pick rights in exchange for taking on Hart’s contract. (As it stands now, in the unlikely event that the Wizards become a competent team next season, the Knicks would get their pick).
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The Durant fit in New York isn’t as snug as Antetokounmpo, a former Defensive Player of the Year in his prime. But even at his age, he’s a much better all-around defender than Towns and, perhaps more importantly, isn’t on the books for an annual $57 million over the next three seasons. If Durant doesn’t work out in New York, the Knicks can let him walk and have much more financial freedom. If Towns doesn’t work out next season, he’s still under contract for, gulp, $61 million in 2027-28.
Presumably, this deal doesn’t happen unless Durant gives his blessing, which is no small thing. Holmes would add another center on the depth chart behind the oft-injured Robinson. Losing McBride would hurt the backcourt, but the hope here is that Durant’s presence lures veterans to play at minimum contracts in pursuit of a championship. (Chris Paul, anyone?)
On the Suns’ side, they do right by Booker and bring in his long-time buddy and college teammate Towns to rewrite a grim outlook in Phoenix. Maybe they add impending free agent D’Angelo Russell to recreate “The Goodfellas” SLAM cover story from 2019. A Russell quote from that feature: “We gotta do this again, when we’re all on the same team.” The dream is alive, at least in this trade.
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When looking at Durant packages, the Suns don’t have much incentive to trade for picks and bottom out. That strategy doesn’t work with a player as good as Booker on the roster, and it certainly doesn’t make sense unless the Suns recoup some or all of their first-round picks from Houston (2025, 2027 and 2029).
If Houston has eyes for Giannis and moves those picks to Milwaukee instead, it leaves the Suns out in the cold and increasingly vulnerable to a trade demand from Booker. The new Phoenix front office, led by a former college coach Brian Gregory, could lock in Towns and go forward with that duo as the new faces of the team.
The Mikal Bridges trade
Knicks receive: Daniel Gafford, Caleb Martin
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Mavericks receive: Mikal Bridges
If the Knicks don’t want to move Towns or don’t find a palatable deal, this might be the direction they go.
For whatever reason, Bridges just never quite fit in with the Knicks this season and it was notable that he, a non-CAA client, was the only Knick to speak up about Thibodeau’s minutes allocation. This trade makes the Mavericks more balanced and helps solve their perimeter defense, which has been an issue since parting with Dorian Finney-Smith and Derrick Jones Jr.
After winning the Cooper Flagg lottery, the Mavs suddenly have a logjam in their frontcourt and a glaring need at Bridges’ position. The Mavericks can say all they want that the 6-foot-8 Flagg can work at the small forward slot next to Anthony Davis and one of Dereck Lively II or Daniel Gafford. But what they really need is a point-of-attack defender who isn’t a teenaged Flagg or 35-year-old Klay Thompson. And that means trading away one of their many bigs.
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Gafford is a monster around the paint and would be an upgrade over Robinson, and far more reliable from an injury standpoint. While Robinson does provide a lob threat for Knicks guards, he’s not the same caliber of a vertical spacer as Gafford, who averaged 20.6 points per 36 minutes last season compared to Robinson’s 10.8 figure.
In Martin, the Knicks receive a more physical player than Bridges on the perimeter, but he comes at the cost of more frequent unavailability. Bridges has never missed a game in his career while Martin has missed about 20 games a season since he became a full-time player in 2021-22. With Kyrie Irving off the books next summer, the Mavericks could fill that salary slot with Bridges’ extension (up to four years and $156 million).
We’ll pour another one out for the Nova Knicks.
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