Three moves Knicks must make after landing Mikal Bridges

The New York Knicks agreed to the first blockbuster deal of the NBA offseason on Tuesday, executing their first trade with the Brooklyn Nets since 1983 to land forward Mikal Bridges.

As part of the deal, New York will send Bojan Bogdanovic, four unprotected first-round picks, a protected first-round pick via Milwaukee, an unprotected pick swap and a second-round pick to Brooklyn in exchange for Bridges and a second-round pick. Although it's a steep price for a non-All-Star, the Knicks are now arguably the best-equipped team in the Eastern Conference to knock off the reigning champion Boston Celtics. 

Even so, New York still has some major questions that must be answered before free agency, which begins on June 30 at 6 p.m. ET. With that in mind, here are three moves the Knicks must make in the wake of the Bridges trade.  

1. Re-sign forward OG Anunoby 

The obvious move Knicks president Leon Rose needs to make this offseason is to retain Anunoby, no matter the cost. In December, New York paid a massive haul to acquire Anunoby, who declined his player option earlier this week, trading multiple draft picks and young talents RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to Toronto.

The initial returns of the Anunoby deal were incredibly promising, considering the Knicks were clicking on all cylinders before Julius Randle suffered a season-ending injury on Jan. 27. During the month of January, the Knicks posted the best record in the NBA (14-2) while ranking first in defensive rating (105.9), net rating (16.3) and rebound percentage (54.8%).

Anunoby proved to be New York's most impactful player outside of All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson, which gives him all the leverage in contract negotiations despite his extensive injury history. In all likelihood, Anunoby will seek a deal paying $35 million to $40 million annually. It's impossible to overlook the risk involved in giving Anunoby such a contract, but pairing him with Bridges would give the Knicks two players capable of shutting down Boston's Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.  

2. Acquire a backup center

While the Knicks will be aggressive in their attempt to retain Anunoby, SNY's Ian Begley reported Tuesday that "it's become increasingly unlikely" they will be able to re-sign center Isaiah Hartenstein. The 26-year-old Hartenstein emerged as one of the NBA's better offensive centers during his second season with New York, averaging 7.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.

Hartenstein will be one of the top free-agent targets for many contending teams, and while he'd be a significant loss for the Knicks, the team has a starting-caliber center on the roster in Mitchell Robinson. If New York fails to retain Hartenstein, it must acquire a backup center, whether that be during the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft or in free agency.

Indiana center Kel'el Ware, who worked out for the Knicks during the pre-draft process, would be an intriguing addition, though the team would likely have to move up in the draft to secure him. But if the Knicks ultimately decide to explore the free-agent center market, Goga Bitadze, Andre Drummond and Jonas Valanciunas "are on their radar," according to HoopsHype's Michael Scotto. 

3. Explore the backup point guard market 

Although this isn't a priority, New York should seek a true backup point guard to bolster one of the deepest benches in the Association. Miles "Deuce" McBride flashed impressive two-way potential when he was given an expanded role after the Anunoby trade, but he isn't exactly a playmaker.

During the playoffs, McBride shined playing as an off-ball guard alongside Brunson, and that could be the perfect role for him going forward, depending on which backup point guard New York brings in. Another former Villanova Wildcat could be the answer, as six-time All-Star Kyle Lowry is a potential free-agent target for the Knicks, per Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer.

The 38-year-old is in the twilight years of his career, but he was a serviceable lead ball-handler for the Heat and 76ers last season, averaging 8.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 60 games. If Lowry is added to the mix, the Knicks would have an undersized yet scrappy and effective small-ball lineup coming off the bench, consisting of him, McBride, Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart and whoever the backup center is.