The Brooklyn Nets may not want to spend much time thinking about the Knicks, but their offseason says otherwise.
That tension sits at the center of Joe Tsai’s comments to NetsDaily, where the team governor said the crosstown championship is frustrating, but it won’t shape basketball decisions. It was a careful answer, one that tried to separate the pain of watching New York win from the work Brooklyn is doing to build its own future.
Then the Nets went and made the point harder to ignore by adding Julius Randle as a culture-setting veteran.
For a team trying to establish an identity around younger talent, that’s not a small move. It also makes the comparison to the Knicks impossible to avoid, because Brooklyn is now betting on the same kind of veteran presence New York used to help steady its own rise.
The Knicks’ path with Randle was never about a forever partnership. He signed a three-year deal in 2020, and over time he became part of a broader winning structure that eventually helped carry New York to an Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 2024. Leon Rose’s front office extended him once after an All-NBA season, but when the price climbed, the Knicks were willing to move on.
That decision led them to swap Randle and Donte DiVincenzo for Karl-Anthony Towns, a deal that underscored how far New York had come in building around Jalen Brunson as its No. 1 option.
Brooklyn is now making a different version of the same kind of bet. Randle joins Michael Porter Jr. as veteran pieces around a young core, all of it feeding into Jordi Fernandez’s system. Even with the upgrade, the Nets still project as one of the Eastern Conference’s worst teams.
And for now, that’s not necessarily a problem.
A roster in that position can use the year to develop young players in a more organized and accountable environment while still keeping a favorable spot in the 2027 NBA Draft Lottery, whatever that means under the new odds.
That’s why the Nets’ insistence that they’re not really watching the Knicks feels a little off. After speaking with Tsai, Sean Marks, and Peter Stern, NetsDaily said Brooklyn doesn’t want fans thinking much about New York’s success because the team itself isn’t focused on it either.
But the basketball tells a different story. The Nets are following the same general blueprint New York used in 2019, even if they don’t want to say it out loud.
And after watching Mikal Bridges head uptown and win a ring just two years later, Brooklyn might be better off embracing the orange-and-blueprint instead of pretending it isn’t there.
In Other News...
Cavaliers Just Gave Knicks Fans Another Reason To Doubt Them
The Cavaliers have been active in reshaping their roster, first landing Peyton Watson in a sign-and-trade and then adding James Harden on a long-term deal as they keep pushing to strengthen the group around their core. For Knicks fans, it is hard not to look at the move with a familiar mix of relief and skepticism, especially with Harden now another year older and still carrying the sort of questions that tend to follow him this deep into his career.
Hardens recent conference finals showing against New York only adds to the unease around Clevelands bet. Even before the financial commitment is fully unpacked, the fit and the long-range value are already under the microscope, and the Knicks can only watch as a rival takes on a massive gamble that may or may not age cleanly. [Read more 🡒]
Mikal Bridges Is Chasing Rare NBA History Knicks Fans Should Track
Mikal Bridges keeps showing up, and that reliability has become part of his value for the Knicks in a way that goes beyond points, defense or any single box score line. He has played in 638 straight regular-season games without missing one, a run that places him eighth all-time on the NBAs consecutive-games list and underscores why availability can be a skill all its own in this league.
The streak also gives Bridges a place in a different kind of history chase. He owns the second-longest run to begin a career without missing a game, and he already passed Andre Miller for the best such start since 2000. For Knicks fans, the interesting part is not just how far he has come, but how rare it would be for him to keep climbing if his body cooperates over the next couple of seasons. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Still Have One Roster Battle Worth Watching In Camp
The Knicks still have one roster spot worth monitoring as camp approaches, and it sits at a position where depth can disappear in a hurry. New York has not settled its third-string center job yet, which means the last big man on the roster could be chosen the old-fashioned way, by competing in training camp and proving he can help in a limited role.
One name in the mix is Julian Reese, whose rebounding profile makes him an appealing non-guaranteed camp option. His game has drawn an Andre Drummond comparison because of how he impacts the glass, and his recent work with Washington only adds to the sense that he could fit New Yorks roster strategy if the team wants a rugged, rebound-first presence tucked behind its main rotation. [Read more 🡒]