Leon Rose already changed the Knicks once by landing Jalen Brunson. The bigger question now is what comes after that.
The front office has done the hard part. Rose took over, moved Marcus Morris Sr. to the Los Angeles Clippers for a first-round pick, and eventually used that asset on Immanuel Quickley, who later helped New York get OG Anunoby.
But the real turning point came when the Knicks signed Brunson, the point guard they would eventually name Captain. From there, the rise kept building until New York finished the job in 2026.
Now the Knicks are defending champions heading into the 2026-27 regular season, and with the reigning NBA Finals MVP still in place, most of the immediate basketball questions are already answered. The long-term one is tougher: what happens when Brunson is no longer the centerpiece?
That is where Rose’s next major challenge begins. He was handed the Knicks job with no prior experience running an NBA franchise, yet he turned the organization into a title winner in six seasons. Even so, once Brunson’s prime runs out, New York will have to find another 1A superstar to keep the whole thing moving.
There are a few different paths to that answer, and Rose’s own history gives the Knicks some unusual options. One of his earliest clients when he started as an NBA player agent in the 1990s was Rick Brunson, Jalen’s father and now a Knicks assistant coach. By the early 2010s, Rose was representing many of the league’s biggest names.
That long list of relationships could matter again someday. A business connection Rose built years ago, before moving his empire to Pennsylvania Plaza, might eventually circle back into New York’s search for its next star. But the next big swing could also come through another Rose entirely.
Sam Rose, Leon’s longtime son, is now an NBA agent himself. His clients include Brunson and OG Anunoby, along with former Knicks Obi and Jacob Toppin and St.
John’s star - now Boston Celtic - Dillon Mitchell. The point is not that those players get special treatment.
It’s that their representation knows exactly what playing for the Knicks can offer.
And that leaves the door open to an obvious question: with the off-court earning power, access to an award-winning medical staff, and the other advantages that come with New York, could Leon Rose one day steer an All-Star client toward the Knicks as the best landing spot?
In Other News...
Knicks May Not Get The Frontcourt Drop-Off Fans Fear
The Knicks turned to Andre Drummond on a one-year deal after Mitchell Robinson moved on in free agency, and the early read on that frontcourt swap may be more encouraging than the usual veteran-for-younger-center handoff. Drummonds most recent season with Philadelphia showed he can still rebound and finish around the rim, giving New York a proven body in the middle and a player whose production could help keep the second unit afloat.
Bleacher Report recently put a surprisingly strong lens on the fit, suggesting Drummond could offer far more offense and glass work than many expected on a per-minute basis. The bigger question for the Knicks is less about whether he can pile up numbers and more about how his defensive profile will mesh with what they had before, especially with the roster trying to preserve the identity Robinson brought on that end. [Read more 🡒]
Leon Rose Just Validated The Knicks' Unconventional Championship Blueprint
The Knicks reached the top of the NBA with a roster built in a way that would have looked unorthodox a few years ago, and the result has given Leon Rose and his front office plenty of validation. Rather than leaning on a homegrown core, New York assembled a champion around smart roster construction and a clear identity, drawing a comparison to the 2019-20 Lakers as another title team that won without a traditional draft-and-develop backbone.
At the center of it all was Jalen Brunson, whose path from former second-round pick to franchise cornerstone helped define the teams rise. Analyst Sam Quinn credited Roses front office for embracing an unconventional approach that still produced the games ultimate prize, and for the Knicks, the larger question now is whether this is a one-off success story or a blueprint they can keep using as they chase more. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Face A Ben Simmons Decision They May Not Control
The Knicks have at least kicked around the idea of bringing Ben Simmons into preseason as a possible third-string center, a reflection of how they are still sorting through the edges of the roster before camp opens. Leon Rose and the front office are weighing whether a non-guaranteed invite makes sense, with Simmons offering a very specific kind of size and versatility if the team wants another look at him in a limited role.
Complicating matters is the fact that New York is not the only club monitoring the situation, which makes this feel less like a straightforward roster call and more like a race for information. The Knicks have not made any contract offer or commitment, and with Simmons recent playing history and his prior decision to pass on New York, the question is whether the club can wait long enough to decide or whether the market forces its hand first. [Read more 🡒]