Grading Knicks' Biggest Moves from 2024 NBA Offseason

The 2024 NBA offseason will be one New York Knicks fans don't soon forget.

The upcoming campaigns will, of course, determine whether these become fond memories or not, but right now, it's good to be wearing blue and orange.

Fresh off a 50-win season, the Knicks used this summer to make an aggressive push toward championship contention. They spent large on the trade market and in free agency and potentially positioned themselves as the biggest Eastern Conference threat to the reigning champion Boston Celtics.

From a macro view, New York should hold prominent placement on any list of offseason winners. Dropping down to the micro level, though, how did the Knicks fare with biggest transactions? We'll discuss here before giving each a letter grade evaluation.

New York had been stockpiling trade assets for years, presumably while awaiting a superstar splurge.

The franchise opted to splurge on a support swingman instead, completing its 'Nova Knicks transformation in the process.

Mikal Bridges, who teamed with Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo in college, came over from the Brooklyn Nets in a swap costing the 'Bockers five first-round picks in a swap. That is a massive amount for anyone, let alone a soon-to-be 28-year-old who's never been an All-Star or All-NBA honoree.

It's also a fascinating wager on team chemistry, as the club should show a camaraderie that's almost never seen in professional sports. It's also a bet that these puzzle pieces could align as they once did at Villanova, which captured national titles in 2016 and 2018. It's an interesting strategy and one that could work incredibly well, but the sticker shock is still jarring.

Grade: B

The Knicks seemingly pot-committed themselves to re-signing OG Anunoby when they parted with Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett to pluck Anunoby away from the Toronto Raptors.

Still, you wonder if New York was ready for the pot to erupt how it did when Anunoby proved the perfect fit in the Big Apple. As an all-purpose defender and low-maintenance, high-efficiency support scorer, he was at his dot-connecting best after the deal. The Knicks outscored their opponents by 22.6 points per 100 possessions over Anunoby's 802 minutes, per NBA.com.

That net differential is hugely positive. The total floor time is pretty light, though, for someone who joined the club in a December deal. Injuries, a common enemy for Anunoby, limited him to just 50 total appearances, which was actually the second-most he'd made over the past four seasons.

Anunoby is a really good defender and a strong support player on offense, meaning he functions as a high-end, two-way role player. You won't find many players wearing that label and commanding the kind of coin he's now collecting: $212.5 million over the next five years.

The Knicks clearly think he is a critical piece of their championship puzzle, but that's still a big number for someone who doesn't often post loud counting stats.

Grade: B-

This past season, the Knicks watched Jalen Brunson emerge as a full-fledged superstar. The 27-year-old earned his first ever nods as an All-Star and All-NBA honoree while posting a horde of personal-bests, including his 28.7 points and 6.7 assists per outing.

Then, they did what business folks say you should never do: They bought into a stock at its all-time high.

Incredibly, though, they did so without paying top dollar—or anything close to it. They got his signature on a four-year, $156.5 million extension worth more than $100 million less than he could have collected on a five-year pact next offseason.

Brunson could, of course, recoup some of this money down the line, as he'll be eligible for a four-year, $253 million pact in 2027. Still, these savings and the flexibility they create are real; this is $37 million less across the first three seasons of the deal than the five-year maximum contract he could have landed next offseason.

Turns out, buying into this skyrocketing stock was business very well done.

Grade: A+