Latest news with #Knicks'
Time of India
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
NBA Trade Rumors: Blockbuster prediction sends $52.6 million Los Angeles Lakers superstar to New York Knicks forming deadly duo with Karl-Anthony Towns
A compelling NBA trade scenario is turning heads as speculation intensifies around Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James potentially heading to the New York Knicks. Proposed by Dan Favale of Bleacher Report, the hypothetical swap would send Karl-Anthony Towns to Los Angeles in exchange for the four-time NBA champion. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now LeBron to New York: A Trade That Makes Sense on Paper In a straight one-for-one trade that fits under the current collective bargaining agreement, Towns' $53.1 million salary matches closely with ' $52.6 million for the 2025-26 season. The potential deal is drawing traction not just for its financial feasibility but also for its basketball implications. According to Favale, the trade could bring flexibility and much-needed star power to the Knicks' roster: 'Straight-up swapping Towns for LeBron would make the Knicks a lot older. So be it. New York still needs another ball-handler to consistently lighten its dependence on Jalen Brunson,' Favale wrote. (H/t: Dallas Hoops) This trade scenario gains further legitimacy considering the Knicks' connections to LeBron. Team president Leon Rose is James' former agent, and head coach Mike Brown previously coached him in Cleveland. With the Knicks reaching the Eastern Conference Finals last season for the first time since 2000, adding a veteran like LeBron James might be the final push they need. Why LeBron to the Knicks Isn't Far-Fetched Karl‑Anthony Towns (Image Source: Getty Images) Here are the key reasons why this trade isn't outlandish: - New York Ties: LeBron has a long-standing admiration for Madison Square Garden, calling it his favorite arena. - Prior Knicks Interest: He met with the Knicks during his 2010 free agency before signing with the Miami Heat. - Championship Aspirations: The Knicks haven't won a title since 1973. LeBron's arrival could shift that narrative. - Roster Fit: With gone, the Knicks could restructure their big-man rotation with Mitchell Robinson and new addition Guerschon Yabusele. What LeBron Brings at 41 Despite his age, LeBron remains elite. Last season with the Lakers, he averaged: Stat Value Points per game 24.4 Rebounds 7.8 Assists 8.2 Steals 1.0 Blocks 0.6 He also earned All-NBA Second Team honors and showed little sign of slowing down, solidifying his value even as he prepares to turn 41. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Lakers' Dilemma: Keep or Trade? As of now, the haven't confirmed whether James has picked up his player option for next season. Until he does, the door remains open for trade talks. This uncertainty has added fuel to the Knicks rumors. Knicks' Cap Flexibility and Strategic Planning Favale also points to the potential cap benefits for New York: 'Give team president Leon Rose truth serum, and he might even tell you he appreciates the flexibility that the expiring contract of a soon-to-be 41-year-old LeBron would give the Knicks over the three seasons and $171.2 million owed to Towns.' A deal like this could allow the Knicks to reshape their future while contending in the short term. Even with Towns gone, the Knicks would retain a veteran-minimum slot to bolster their rotation. Also read: While this blockbuster trade remains hypothetical, all the pieces—from financial structure to long-standing relationships and roster fit—make it more than just fantasy. If James does express interest in moving, the Knicks might be the most natural landing spot.
NBC Sports
09-07-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Mike Brown on coaching Knicks: 'Nobody has bigger expectations... than I do'
Expectations are sky-high around the Knicks — the team just fired the coach who led it to its first Eastern Conference Finals in a quarter century. That sets the bar at finals-or-bust high for his replacement. Mike Brown leaned into that at his introductory press conference. 'Nobody has bigger expectations, first of all, than I do,' Brown said at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. 'My expectations are high. This is the Knicks. I talked about Madison Square Garden being iconic. I talked about our fans. I love and embrace the expectations that come along with it. I'm looking forward to it.' There are reasons Brown won out on a long and winding coaching search. First and foremost, he's a good coach. Brown is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year who led the LeBron-era Cleveland Cavaliers to the Finals, and he was the coach who broke Sacramento's 16-year playoff drought. Second, he has coached stars before, including LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. However, reports out of New York suggest that what was the real selling point was Brown's collaborative nature, working with the front office and his assistant coaches. That was not the Thibodeau way, and it wore on Leon Rose and the Knicks' front office. 'I had great conversations with [Knicks' owner James] Dolan and, obviously, Leon and his group,' Brown said. 'My whole thing is that I want to form a partnership with (Leon). I want to do this together. It's impossible to do it on your own.' Brown takes over a roster that won 51 games and finished as the No. 3 seed in the East a season ago. Those Knicks had the fifth-best offense in the NBA behind Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, but were also 14th in the league in defense. Brown is known as a defense-first coach, but then again, so was the fired Thibodeau — a coach can only do so much with the talent on hand, and the Knicks front office has not built a defensive juggernaut. The question with the Knicks is less tactical — although Brown will want less isolation and more ball-and-player movement, remember he was Steve Kerr's lead assistant with the Warriors for a couple of titles — and more whether having a different voice in the locker room is the key. Do the Knicks just need a change? 'I thought what this group did this past year in the playoffs, it just shows their potential, not just defensively but offensively, too,' Brown said at his press conference. 'I'm looking forward to putting a plan in place and working with those guys on both ends of the floor... Implementing my vision is very exciting for me and, hopefully, it is for everyone else. I think the ceiling is high on both ends for the group.' Brown and the Celtics need to reach that ceiling — the expectations he walks into are that high.
New York Post
09-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
What Mike Brown's introduction revealed about how he'll coach the Knicks
It took 25 seconds for Mike Brown to reference ending the Knicks' 52-year championship drought. Brown, who was introduced Tuesday as the Knicks head coach, got the memo — literally — from team president Leon Rose. In this case, the memo was the statement Rose issued saying 'our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship' after firing Tom Thibodeau on the heels of reaching the Eastern Conference finals. 'Our goal … is to build a sustainable winning culture that produces championships. That's why I'm here,' Brown said in his opening statement. 'I'm fortunate to know what it takes to create that success.' Advertisement Brown referenced his résumé — six NBA Finals appearances with three different franchises — but casually omitted that his four rings (one with the Spurs and three with the Warriors) came as an assistant coach. He went 0-1 in the Finals as Cavaliers head coach.
Miami Herald
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Knicks new coach Mike Brown set to embrace high expectations
With the New York Knicks coming off their first conference finals appearance in 25 years, newly hired coach Mike Brown understands that the team faces high expectations heading into 2025-26. And Brown is ready to embrace them. 'Nobody has any bigger expectations than I do,' Brown said during his introductory news conference on Tuesday. 'My expectations are high. This is the Knicks and Madison Square Garden. It's iconic. ... I love and embrace the expectations that come along with it.' Officially hired as the Knicks' head coach on Monday, Brown, 55, emphasized that the likes of stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, key frontcourt contributors like Mitchell Robinson and newcomers Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele combined to give the Knicks plenty of options on offense. At the end of the day, however, 'it's about relationships,' Brown said, including players and coaches holding each other accountable. 'It's about trust,' Brown said. 'Once you grow those relationships, then you can talk openly about anything that you need to go in the direction you need to go. I'm going to be open and honest with them, and I'm sure they're going to be open and honest with me.' A two-time Coach of the Year, Brown takes over the Knicks after previous stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers (twice), Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings. Over parts of 11 seasons as a head coach, he has amassed a 50-40 playoff record and now looks to guide the Knicks to the franchise's first NBA championship since 1973. 'There's a lot of work to do,' Brown said. 'But I'm looking forward to getting started.' Field Level Media 2023 - All Rights Reserved
New York Post
08-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Mike Brown embracing lofty expectations in first comments as Knicks coach
The Knicks are in win-now mode with a new head coach. And Mike Brown is ready for the pressure that comes along with it. 'Nobody has any bigger expectations, first of all, than I do,' Brown said Tuesday during his introductory press conference at the team's practice facility in Tarrytown. 'My expectations are high. This is the Knicks. I talked about Madison Square Garden being iconic. I love and embrace the expectations that come along with it. So, I'm looking forward to it.' Brown is looking beyond just ending the Knicks' 52-year championship drought, however. 'Our goal, starting with Mr. [James] Dolan to Leon [Rose] to the players, all the way down to the fans, is to build a sustainable, winning culture that produces championships. That's why I'm here,' said Brown, who's won four NBA titles as an assistant coach. The Knicks agreed to hire Brown last week after firing Tom Thibodeau in the days following the team's elimination by the Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals, their first appearance in the conference finals in 25 years. New Knicks coach Mike Brown speaks during his introductory press conference on July 8, 2025. Getty Images Brown, Taylor Jenkins, Micah Nori, James Borrego and Dawn Staley all spoke to the Knicks about their head coaching job after the team was denied permission to speak with the Mavericks' Jason Kidd, Rockets' Ime Udoka, Timberwolves' Chris Finch, Bulls' Billy Donovan and Hawks' Quin Snyder. Brown, 55, was most recently the head coach of the Kings, with whom he earned Coach of the Year honors in his first season two years ago. Sacramento fired him 31 games into the 2024-25 season when they were 13-18. He first became a head coach in 2005 with the LeBron James-led Cavaliers and reached the NBA Finals in 2007.
