The Knicks may have finished last season on top, but Tyrese Maxey’s path to payback just got a lot clearer.
Philadelphia pulled off a blockbuster deal with Boston, landing Jaylen Brown and sending out Paul George, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks. That move changes the shape of the Eastern Conference, and it gives Maxey a much stronger hand if the 76ers are going to challenge New York next season.
Maxey and the Sixers were swept by the Knicks in the second round during New York’s run to its first NBA Championship in 53 years. Heading into next year, the Knicks are still favored over Philadelphia. But with Brown now in the mix alongside Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe, the Sixers suddenly look far more dangerous.
That’s where the problem starts for New York. The Knicks are still the team to beat in the East.
They’re bringing back almost the exact same group that won it all, with Jalen Brunson continuing to anchor the offense and Karl-Anthony Towns giving them one of the best bigs in the league. The role players fit, too, which is why they sit at the top of the conference picture.
Still, the East is loaded with teams that can make life difficult, and the Brown trade only sharpens that reality. Brown is one of the best scorers in the business, Embiid remains an MVP-caliber force when healthy, and Edgecombe is emerging as a young star. Put that together, and Maxey now has a supporting cast that could actually give Philadelphia a real shot at climbing the bracket.
There’s even a case to be made that the 76ers have moved into the No. 2 spot in the conference behind the Knicks. If that holds, the rematch Maxey wants becomes a whole lot more realistic.
New York still has plenty of threats to track. Boston isn’t going away, the Toronto Raptors are going to be dangerous with Kawhi Leonard, and the Indiana Pacers should be back in full force.
But with Brown joining the Sixers, the Knicks have one more team to worry about - and Maxey’s revenge window just opened wider.
In Other News...
Knicks Suddenly Face A Tougher East Than Anyone Expected
The East may look familiar on paper, but the offseason has already changed the feel of the race, and not in a way the Knicks can ignore. A fresh set of rankings around the conference points to a league where major trades and roster reshuffling have turned several playoff hopefuls into something more dangerous, with contenders getting sharper at the top and the middle of the bracket becoming harder to sort out before opening night.
For New York, the bigger concern is not just who improved, but how many rivals now enter the season with a clearer path to winning in the spring. The analysis around the conference weighs roster strength, coaching changes and new arrivals across the board, and the Knicks are left measuring themselves against a field that suddenly looks deeper, sturdier and less forgiving than expected, even before the first real test arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Face A Brutal Deuce McBride Decision Again
Deuce McBride keeps surfacing in the Knicks roster math because he is one of the few movable pieces on a team that has gotten expensive in a hurry. His value is easy to see: he has given New York steady guard play, reliable minutes and a skill set that fits the way this roster wants to operate, all while playing on a contract that remains friendly enough to make him part of bigger conversations.
The problem is that those same traits make him hard to part with, even if the Knicks keep weighing whether he could be the most realistic way to bring back frontcourt help. The front office could use more size, more rebounding or a cleaner path behind the starting center spot, but every time McBride comes up in the trade pile, it is a reminder of how thin the margin is between preserving backcourt depth and chasing a roster fix that addresses a bigger weakness. [Read more 🡒]
Lakers Just Saw Another Young Big Man Option Slip Away
Mitchell Robinsons move to Boston already left the Knicks looking thinner at the center spot, and it helps explain why New York has been active in the market for another young big. The front office has been searching for long-term answers in the middle, with the kind of player who can grow into a core role rather than just fill minutes.
One of the names they chased was New Orleans center Yves Missi, but the Pelicans have made it clear they are not interested in moving him. New Orleans views him as part of its core, and New York is not alone in getting turned away, since the Lakers also tried to pry him loose without success. [Read more 🡒]