The Ja Morant-to-Portland deal doesn’t just reshape the Trail Blazers. It sends New York’s front office back into the spotlight, too, because the Knicks keep benefiting from two separate trades long after the original moves were made.
Start with the Portland side of the chain reaction: the Blazers sent Kris Murray to Memphis, and Murray was the player they took with the pick that came from the Josh Hart trade with New York. That alone is another reminder of how well the Knicks did in that deal.
But the bigger twist is sitting in New York’s recent past. When the Knicks moved RJ Barrett - drafted one spot after Morant in 2019 - they got OG Anunoby back.
That draft night sting, when New York missed out on the No. 1 pick and Zion Williamson, now looks even different in hindsight. What once felt like a crushing miss helped position the Knicks for their 2026 title.
Memphis got Murray and Jerami Grant for Morant, but neither comes close to what Anunoby has meant to New York. Zion is still with the Pelicans, and even if he were moved, the source of that pick would not be bringing back someone on OG’s level.
Leon Rose wasn’t in charge in 2019 when Barrett was taken No. 3 overall, but he did make the Anunoby deal at the end of 2023. Earlier that same year, he also brought Hart to New York.
Those moves cost the Knicks Barrett, Quickley and a protected first-round pick, but the front office would make both trades again without blinking. With Anunoby in place, the Knicks had the player who delivered the Game 4 tip-in. Without Hart, they don’t get the all-over-the-floor rebounding and hustle that has defined his last couple of years.
New York got exactly what it was after from both transactions: a championship. That’s the whole point. Still, the Morant trade gave the Knicks another round of validation they had nothing to do with.
And Portland? The latest move may not age well there, either.
A Ja-Damian Lillard backcourt isn’t likely to be what the Trail Blazers think it is. They probably would have been better off keeping Hart.
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For the Knicks, that should make the retention conversation feel a little less frantic, at least on the surface. The challenge has not disappeared, though, because keeping Robinson still has to fit inside New Yorks financial guardrails, and that means the front office has to thread a narrow path if it wants to avoid losing a valuable piece while also preserving flexibility for what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Suddenly Have A Surprising Backup Plan For A Familiar Problem
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There is, of course, a clear catch. Isaacs recent injury history and limited availability have been part of the reason his price tag could be much more manageable than his talent might suggest, which is exactly why he may end up drawing attention from teams looking for help without a major financial commitment. For New York, the appeal is obvious enough: a familiar kind of problem in the frontcourt, and a possible answer that would not require a heavy lift. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks May Hold A Quiet Edge In Their Center Search
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Looney also appears to be on the radar of other teams, including Boston and Golden State, which means the Knicks will not be operating in a quiet lane. Still, there is some real familiarity here, and SNYs Ian Begley has reported that the interest runs both ways. If the Knicks are looking for an edge in a crowded center search, this is the kind of situation where relationships can matter almost as much as the market itself. [Read more 🡒]