The Knicks have already gotten the best possible answer to the LeBron James sweepstakes: they don’t need one.
Because New York finished off its 53-year title drought last month, the offseason doesn’t have to be shaped by whether James eventually points himself toward Madison Square Garden. The Knicks are champions.
They don’t have to wait around, sell themselves, or wonder if a 41-year-old superstar will be the missing piece. They’re in a position to run it back on their own terms.
That’s a very different place from the teams still watching and waiting. The Cavaliers, Heat, Sixers, Warriors, Timberwolves and others are still tied to James’ next move, even though it’s been three weeks since he told the Lakers he would not be returning for his 24th season. He still hasn’t publicly announced what comes next, which leaves plenty of room for speculation about whether he’s truly undecided.
Rich Paul tried to shut down the noise on the latest episode of the "Game Over" podcast with Max Kellerman, stressing that James is in no rush and that interested teams have already been given all the information they need. The money won’t be the issue, either, with Paul making clear that finances are not driving the decision.
Still, for front offices, the wait matters. Teams need to know whether they have to keep room open and which other pieces they still need to add. That’s why the suspense is so useful for everyone except the teams stuck in it.
New York, though, is not among them. The Knicks don’t have to talk themselves into James or imagine how he might tilt the balance. They’re not in the chase, and that’s part of the payoff from winning it all.
There’s still a sense that James would like the Knicks to be involved, but if they were, this whole thing might have gone in a very different direction by now. Instead, he’s left sorting through Cleveland, Miami or Philadelphia, and that’s enough to make you feel a little for him.
At least until he officially comes back to the East, if that happens, and becomes a problem for the Knicks again.
In Other News...
Knicks May Have One Of The NBAs Best Bargains In Plain Sight
Miles McBride spent last season looking less like a reserve guard and more like one of the Knicks most useful pieces, the kind of player who can tilt a game with defense, shot-making and steady energy. His breakout came with career-best production, including more than 12 points per game and better than 40 percent shooting from deep, which only reinforced the idea that New York has one of the leagues better bargains hiding in plain sight.
Recognition has started to catch up, too, with Bleacher Report recently slotting McBride as the fifth-most underrated player in the NBA. The timing matters because he is entering a contract year, and a player who has already proven he can impact winning at a high level is usually in line for a much bigger payday than the one he is on now. [Read more 🡒]
Paolo Banchero Just Sent Magic Fans A Message About Jalen Brunson
Jalen Brunsons championship run is already resonating well beyond New York, and one of the leagues rising stars made sure to say so. Orlandos Paolo Banchero praised the Knicks guard for the way he led the title push and for the standard he set along the way, pointing to Brunson as the kind of player whose approach can leave a mark on others around the league.
Banchero also made clear that Brunson is the sort of player he studies and draws inspiration from, which says plenty about how the Knicks Finals MVP is being viewed after the 2026 title. For a franchise that finally broke through after a long drought, the bigger takeaway may be that Brunsons impact now reaches past the parade route and into the next generation of stars watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Brunsons Knicks Deal Somehow Looks Even More Unbelievable
Jalen Brunsons contract has long stood out as one of the rare modern deals that actually changed a franchises path. He accepted a significant pay cut to help the Knicks manage the salary cap, and the ripple effect was obvious: the front office had room to add the kind of role players that can turn a good roster into a title winner. In a league where star extensions usually push teams to the edge, Brunson gave New York flexibility instead of forcing a hard choice.
The irony now is that his bargain looks even sharper in hindsight. Brunson is only the third-highest-paid player on the Knicks despite being their best player, and the championship they won with him at the center of it all only underscores how valuable that sacrifice was. Around the league, young players like Cason Wallace are already being discussed in the same contract neighborhood as Christian Braun, Jalen Suggs and Dyson Daniels, which makes Brunsons deal feel less like a discount and more like a once-in-a-generation outlier. [Read more 🡒]