Did Knicks’ Big Trade Swings Pay Off?

The story of the New York Knicks' 2024 offseason was told through trades. One of the better teams in the Eastern Conference reloaded their offense with a new starting lineup that looked to take the Knicks to the next level, with new additions Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges looking to help New York reach the next level in their hopes of contention.

Everyone saw what the Knicks were going for and reacted accordingly, but the true test would arrive on the court. They broke through to their first Eastern Conference Finals since 2000, but how much of that jump was directly correlated to their summer tweaks?

ESPN revisited their initial trade reactions to the two separate moves with a full season of perspective, with the Knicks actually gaining a little bit of approval in how they escaped the Towns trade. They acquired the longtime Minnesota Timberwolves star for a package headlined by New York's former franchise scorer in Julius Randle and fan-favorite shooter Donte DiVincenzo, a move that was sure to hurt some feelings should Towns disappoint with the Knicks.

The Knicks initially earned a B to the Wolves' B+ upon the original trade, but saw their grade improve to a B+ to match Minnesota following Towns' career-year as a 3-point shooter.

"Towns filled an enormous void for the Knicks at center before shifting to power forward in the conference finals alongside a healthy Mitchell Robinson," Kevin Pelton wrote. "Towns earned All-NBA third-team honors and helped the Knicks level up their offense. With New York focusing on a championship, Towns' defensive shortcomings are an issue, but that's a champagne problem for a franchise that hadn't reached the conference finals in a quarter century."

The Knicks weren't quite as fortunate in the Bridges trade getting revisited, having originally earned a B to the Brooklyn Nets' A. New York went all in on the near-20 point per game scorer at the cost of a half-dozen draft picks, a move that didn't age brilliantly after Bridges struggled to mesh with Tom Thibodeau's coaching scheme.

Despite his key role in the Knicks' postseason run, particularly his defense that helped upset the then-reigning champion Boston Celtics, New York's trade grade slipped from a B to a C+.

"Bridges rallied from an early shooting slump to post an impressive 57% effective field-goal percentage, which treats 3-pointers as 1.5 field goals to reflect their added value," Pelton wrote. "At the defensive end, Bridges wasn't the difference-maker the Knicks surely hoped for, and he averaged just 15.6 points on 33% 3-point shooting during the playoffs."

On the plus side, Bridges' modest salary ($24.9 million this season) helped facilitate the Towns trade. And if adding Bridges helped convince former Villanova teammate Jalen Brunson to sign a below-market extension last summer, this deal was worth making for New York.

Though neither transaction went off without a hitch for the Knicks, with each of their new stars enduring their speed bumps in adjusting to their scenery changes, the contenders still got what they wanted in setting up their current status as a potential top dog in the east.