Knicks Offseason Lands Mixed Reviews

The New York Knicks have been busy throughout the offseason trying to improve the team after reaching the Eastern Conference Finals last season.

The team signed Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele while hiring Mike Brown to replace Tom Thibodeau as their head coach.

Bleacher Report writer Grant Hughes graded all 30 teams for their offseason and gave the Knicks a "B-" for their moves so far.

"Mike Brown might not be a better head coach than Tom Thibodeau on balance, but he'll likely be very different," Hughes wrote.

"It's reasonable to assume Brown will add some dynamism to an offense that lacked it, and he'll also get a few more levers to pull than Thibs ever had."

"In Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele, the Knicks added a pair of rotation options that should allow the starters' minutes, sky high under Thibodeau, to come down. Though Clarkson may not have much left at 33, he's still an upgrade over Cam Payne as an off-the-bench generator of offense. Yabusele's spacing-and-bulk combo should make him an ideal complement to either Mitchell Robinson or Karl-Anthony Towns."

"If the Knicks convince Mikal Bridges to sign a four year, $156 million extension, they'll add a much bigger win to an offseason mostly marked by small ones."

The Knicks have done good, but they haven't made themselves a clear threat in the Eastern Conference despite the Indiana Pacers regressing after Tyrese Haliburton's injury and Myles Turner's departure to the Milwaukee Bucks.

They've done enough to establish themselves as one of the top teams, but they could do more to make them the unquestioned favorite going into the 2025-26 campaign.

Until they make more improvements, their changes should be viewed as marginal at best. That won't be enough to win a championship next season.