Don't know if this will console Stephen A. Smith and Spike Lee, but as confounding as Leon Rose's machinations have been, they have been developing WORKING RELATIONSHIPS with several teams over the last several drafts, going back to Scott Perry's Carmelo deal with the Thunder and Sam Presti, a port of call Perry has returned to repeatedly.
So even if much of our wheeling and dealing has seemed goofy, sometimes seemingly one sided on our partners side, and in many cases, serving to wipe out past mistakes, RELATIONSHIPS ARE IMPORTANT IN THE NBA. And worth noting to all of you Trader VIcs, that for a trade to work, it has to benefit both teams, in the here and now, and in the fiture.
The Knicks have returned repeatedly to discussions and deals with the Clippers, Hornets, Pistons and OKC [And leave us not forget Philly, from whence the #2 which garnered us Jericho Sims in the Austin Rivers mercy trade occured, and Hernan-Gomez going back to the Phool Jagoff Epoch]
* Apparently the Knicks and the Clippers have had exploratory talks about Nerlens NoelThe Clippers seemingly have a trade exception to fit Nerlens in from one of their Serge Ibaka transactions.
Also, worth noting that the Knicks and Clippers have evolved
a working rapprt as trading partners these past couple of seasons.
There was the Morris trade where we got back what's his name, that All-D/No O wing on an expiring [having an Alzheimer's moment, and too lazy to look his name up...okay, wait...Moe Harkless] and a first rounder which after much swapping, moving up and moving down, was converted into
IMMANEUL QUICKLEY.
And then during last summer's draft, the Knicks traded their #21 pick [guard Keon Johnson, who the Clippers subsenquently traded to the Trailblazers in a big deal that saw the Clips cop Norman Powell and Robert Covington in return for Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson, and a 2025 second-round draft pick]. The Knicks in return got back the Clips #25 pick, which they used to draft
QUENTIN GRIMES, plus, the obligatory second round pick.
And we already know that the Detroit second rounder we obtained from the Pistons in the Derrick Rose transaction, was forwarded to OKC for the pair of #2 picks which produced
ROKAS JOKUBAITIS &
MILES MCBRIDE.
The #19 pick we generously forwarded to Charlotte, that they used to select PF Kai Jones, in return for a heavily protected #1, was forwarded to Atlanta with Kevin Knox for
CAM REDDISH, Solomon Hill [and, tah dah, a future #2 pick].
And on draft night 2022, our OKC, Detroit and Charlotte relationships culminated in converting our #11 pick, Ousmane Dieng, into multiple #1 picks from OKC, and somehow, from there, into a three team trade with Charlotte and the Pistons for the pick which turned into uber teen center Jalen Duren....I can't explain it. Here is the breakdown.
The Knicks made the first trade of the NBA draft, sending the draft rights to Ousmane Dieng, the No. 11 overall pick, to the Oklahoma City Thunder for three future conditional first-round picks from the Denver Nuggets, Washington Wizards and Pistons.
New York then traded the Nuggets first-rounder they received from Oklahoma City, plus four second-round picks, to the Hornets for the rights to Duren, the Memphis center who was picked No. 13 by Charlotte. New York then traded Duren and Walker to the Pistons for a 2025 conditional Milwaukee Bucks first-round pick.
So we converted our #11 into three future #1 picks and the draft capital to help our buddies in Detroit get the center of their dreams in exchange for them taking Kemba Walker's salary off of our books, slotting it into the trade exception from the Jerami Grant concoction.
WHEW.
The Knicks apparently still chanelling their INNER FACIL, only doing the EXACT OPPOSITE over what our Forum Trader Vic would do. Not trading Randle for a bag of beans. Not trading Fournier [well, not quite yet anyway] for the ghost of Eric Bledsoe, PURSUING Jalen Brunson with steely intent [sorry Fac, but you are way off on this one], and
purportedly having exploratory talks with several teams about Alec Burks, including the Celtics.
If indeed the Knicks could use their draft capital and carefully cultivated relationships to convert Kemba Walker [done], Nerlens Noel, Alec Burks and perhaps even Fac's reviled Fournier [less a matter of his talent and fit, more a matter of dollars and cents, plus opening up playing time for big wings RJ Barrett, Cam Reddish, Quentin Grimes and Trevor Keels], then we could end up with a young, tough, talented, uber-motivated point guard in Jalen Brunson, rethink our 2021 free agent two year-third year team option signings, retool their contracts into cap space, CONTINUE TO DEVELOP OUR PUPPIES and free up Randle and Barrett to make their next evolutionary steps by taking the ball and first option
facil-i-tating responsibilities out of their hands, so we have less isolation, more motion and cutting, and more well-set up three pointers.
This appears to be how it could all be breaking down, and as per Thibs' input and comfort level, much as he was ixnay on the Kemba, and loved Noel and Burks, you've got to figure he put in a STRONG GOOD WORD for both Rose & Gibson as his vets of choice on this puppy farm...
Rose to give us carefully monitored- feelgood off the bench minutes, and to mentor Brunson-Quickley-McBride, while Gibson remains Thibs' bench big of last resort, and to mentor [PRESUMABLY] Mitch Robinson, Jericho Sims, Julius Randle and Obi Toppin. Anyway, as of Friday, July 1st, we will have a clearer idea of whether this Plan B was pulled out of Rose's ass or seemingly calculated by our collective brain trust of GM Scott Perry, WWW, Capologist/VP Strategic Planning Brock Aller, Super Scout/Assistant GM Walt Perrin and holdover, special assistant to the general manager, Allan Houston.
PPS: We shall see. Fingers Crossed, with the added bonus that if it all falls into place as it appears it might, yet another opportunity to revel in the sheer stupidity of loud mouth super fan/serial dumbass Stephen A. as the waiter brings him a double portion of
CROW SASHIMI from the sushi bar.
PPPS: Then again, it could all blow up in our fucking faces much as damn near everything else has over the past twenty years.
PPPPS: Still, Rose gets credit for accuring draft capital and NOT EATING OUR YOUNG.
PPPPPS: Confoundingly complex, is it not? Let Us PRAY.
TO BE A KNICKS FAN IS TO SUFFER. 
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