Knicks Year in Review: Delon Wright's Trade Deadline Arrival

With the Larry O'Brien Trophy awarded and the NBA Draft in the books, the New York Knicks' most successful season in a quarter-century officially ends on a bittersweet note.

Armed with the talents of All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, New York won 51 games and made its first showing in the NBA's final four for the first time since 2000 but a similar fate awaited in the form of a six-game defeat at the hands of the Indiana Pacers. In the aftermath, the Knicks bid farewell to head coach Tom Thibodeau, ending his reign in Manhattan after five seasons.

With the offseason in full swing, Knicks on SI looks back and ahead at the Knicks' roster on a case-by-case basis, going in numerical order ...

2024-25 Year In Review: Delon Wright

Name: Delon Wright
Season: 10th (1st with Knicks)
Key Stats: 4.3 points, 2.1 assists, 46.9 percent

How It Started

Wright reached a decade of NBA service with the Milwaukee Bucks, having made his living as an Association nomad. The younger brother of 2006 champion and fellow first-round pick Dorrell had played for eight different teams before this season, which included a brief Dallas layover with Jalen Brunson in Dallas.

It was perhaps quite surprising that, in that well-traveled stretch, Wright had never crossed paths with former Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau considering the latter's penchant for defensive backcourt threats in the rare times he actually did go the bench.

While Wright eventually got lost in the Milwaukee rotation and was made almost completely redundant when the Bucks obtained Kevin Porter Jr., his defensive rating of 101.8 was tops among all Wisconsin participants that played at least 15 minutes a game (admittedly in a still-small sample size at 26 appearances in green and cream).

How It Started

Buried in Milwaukee's backcourt depth behind Damian Lillard, Wright made his way to the Knicks at the trade deadline, obtained at the trade deadline for fellow exiled reserve Jericho Sims. He wound up playing 14 games during the regular season after his late arrival, which was even further delayed after he was covered in yet another overpopulated game plan.

There wasn't much for Wright to do in first month-plus on the Knick roster but he was granted an opportunity once injuries to Brunson, Miles McBride, and Cameron Payne ate away at backcourt depth during the final stages of the regular season. Wright helped keep the Knicks' late momentum alive.

In the five games that Wright started, the Knicks maintained a top effort in defensive and net rating despite the medical casualties. More importantly, the Knicks went 4-1 to more or less seal homecourt advantage in the opening round of the playoffs. For his part, Wright also found a bit of a shooting prowess, sinking 50 percent of his tries in that five-game stretch.

Wright more or less returned to exile once everyone got healthy but was one of the beneficiaries of head coach Thibodeau's last-ditch attempt at rotation expansion during the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers. While he didn't retain his offensive prowess from early spring (0-of-6 over the last two games of the series), he had the Knicks' second-best defensive rating in the ultimate futile bid to punch a Finals ticket.

Finest Hour

On spring's day of tricks, Wright provided treats and provided a claming sense of relief for the woeing metropolitan public.

With the Knicks missing Brunson, McBride, and Karl-Anthony Towns on the night of a late visit from the Philadelphia 76ers—and a statement-seeking Quentin Grimes standing on the other end—the stage was set for a trap game that would make Admiral Akbar blush.

Wright, stationed in the starting five, offered the best of both worlds to only add to the hapless' Sixers' plight, scoring a season-best 12, stealing three, and registering four assists and rebounds each.

They Said It

“His defense you can always count on. That’s his strength, and he’s not afraid. He’s aggressive, and he knows how to play off people. I think he reads the game well. I think we got terrific point-guard play."-Tom Thibodeau on Wright (h/t Jared Schwartz, New York Post)

“I sacrifice myself on the offensive end so I can play on the defensive end to a high level. Sometimes I do want to score more, but I’ve got to put my energy on the defensive end. That’s what I want to bring: defense to this team. Other guys’ roles are to score.”-Wright on his role in New York (h/t Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News)

What's Next?

Wright is one of several notable Knicks due to hit the free agency front. If Thibodeau stuck around, he would probably be the free agent most likely to stay, as his skillset seemed tailor-made for Thibodeau's love of defensive backcourt talent.

Recency bias could also work in Wright's case, as essentially replaced fellow free agent Payne in the New York rotation once the Knicks reached the final four. It shouldn't take much for the Knicks to retain Wright, as he was working on a one-year, $3 million deal (the veteran's minimum) with Milwaukee this time around.

But if the Knicks hire a developer for the new boss, someone that is more or less Thibodeau's polar opposite, the team is rife with younger backcourt potential such as 2024 draftees Pacome Dadiet and Tyler Kolek (undrafted teenage rookie Dink Pate might be worth a look as well) and could look to foster from within rather than deal with any lingering, lasting veterans. Wright's inexpensive nature and the fact he came through in the spotlight of the postseason does work in his favor, making him one of the more likely free agents to return.