Knicks at NBA trade deadline: Josh Hart brings defensive relief and rebounding

The Athletic has live coverage of the 2024 NBA trade deadline. Follow along for updates.

The NBA trade deadline has passed. The New York Knicks made their move, a four-team deal with the Portland Trail Blazers, Charlotte Hornets and Philadelphia 76ers that brings them gritty guard Josh Hart.

In exchange, they send Cam Reddish, Ryan Arcidiacono and a protected 2023 first-round pick to Portland. Svi Mykhailiuk goes to Charlotte. New York receives the draft rights to a couple of players who won’t come to the NBA and gives up the rights to another.

We will discuss the draft rights later (for real, we will). For now, let’s get to the important part: The Knicks have acquired a plucky defender who doubles as a fast-break stalwart in Hart.

Here are 10 thoughts on the Knicks’ trade deadline move, Hart’s fit, Obi Toppin’s and Immanuel Quickley’s futures, Evan Fournier’s and Derrick Rose’s situations and more.

Defensive relief

Hart’s defensive role with Portland wasn’t so different from Grimes’ in New York. He almost always begins games guarding the opponent’s best perimeter player.

Grimes, who defends point guards as tiny as Trae Young to forwards as imposing as Pascal Siakam, might finally get a break.

He and Hart are alike, especially defensively. They are similar heights with similar wingspans and are physical in the chest with quick feet. Like Grimes, Hart is handsy. On an evening when Grimes is struggling against an elite creator, Hart could spell him.

For now, the assumption is that Hart will come off the bench, though the Knicks are yet to comment on that matter. Grimes’ 3-point shooting is essential to the first unit, where he’s not just a spacer but also a connector. But that doesn’t mean head coach Tom Thibodeau couldn’t play the two together. There are various ways he can go because of Hart’s ability to defend guards or wings.

If Thibodeau sticks with a nine-man rotation, Miles McBride could be the casualty. McBride earns his chops on defense, but versatility matters — and that is before we get to the obvious offensive edge Hart has. There are times when McBride’s size hurts him, when he can’t disrupt a taller shooter or get into a passing lane because his fingers are just two inches too short.

If Hart were to come off the bench, he and Quickley could be a couple of pests at the top of the second-unit defense. Hart’s addition knocks most guys down a spot on the hierarchy, too. It also takes the defensive heat off of RJ Barrett. Thibodeau staggers Barrett so that the starting small forward runs with the reserves for a good portion of each game. Before — with Quickley and McBride, a couple of small guards, alongside Barrett — the 22-year-old had to defend wing scorers in opposing second units. Now, Hart can take that burden off him.

Grab and go

For all the deserved talk about Hart’s rebounding, which is unquestionably elite, there hasn’t been much discussion about what he does after grabbing them. There are few players in the league capable of snagging a defensive board and bolting the other way for a layup as seamlessly as Hart does it.

He makes plays like this once or twice a game:

The Knicks’ second unit already blazes compared to the meandering starters, who are more comfortable setting up in the half court and playing an isolation-heavy style. If Hart plays with the reserves that means three backups — Quickley, Toppin and now Hart — fly with an overwhelming pace.

It will be a changeup for defenses after they dig in against the more prodding Jalen Brunson– and Julius Randle-run units.

There is more to discuss on Hart’s fit with the Knicks, including his playmaking and his hesitance to shoot 3s. He’s hitting only 30 percent from beyond the arc and isn’t nearly as willing to take them as he was a year ago. But we’ll save those details for another day.

With the trade deadline’s expiration still fresh, let’s get into some roster-building thoughts.

Immanuel Quickley, point guard

For a couple of years, the Knicks insisted they trusted Quickley at point guard. But their actions showed hesitation. They treated Quickley as an instant-offense scorer, not necessarily a floor general.

Even as his passing improved last season, New York remained tentative to play him at the point. When Kemba Walker struggled and eventually left the team, it was Alec Burks, a longtime wing, who slotted in with the first unit. But assuming it’s McBride who goes to the bench upon Hart’s arrival, then the Knicks’ actions now say something different.

Rose is still in New York, but he’s not playing anymore, which means Quickley would be the full-time backup point guard.

Tight-lipped Tommy

Because the Hart trade was not yet official when Thibodeau spoke with reporters following Thursday’s practice in Philadelphia, the coach could not speak about his new player. Thibodeau was worried discussing Hart would be tampering since he was technically still a member of the Trail Blazers. It’s a silly rule but it’s still one no NBA coach breaks.

Still, the media tried to work around Thibodeau’s parameters, asking him generically about rebounding at the guard spot or if he might stay with a nine-man rotation moving forward. His responses did not reveal anything specific, but they did lead to one of my favorite all-time tap-dance answers after one hopeful reporter asked if pulling off a trade before the deadline could make the Knicks better.

“I don’t want to jump to any conclusions, and assuming your assumptions are correct — and again, we want everyone to buy into the team and put the team first and contribute in any way we can,” Thibodeau said.

We’ll hear Thibodeau’s full thoughts about Hart on Friday, now that the trade is official. Assuming my assumptions are correct, it’s fair to assume they’ll be slightly more expansive than these.

What’s next for Derrick Rose?

The Knicks made calls about both Rose and Fournier leading into the deadline, but nothing came to fruition. Both remain in New York … for now.

Considering Rose can become a free agent this summer, he now becomes a possible buyout candidate. He could give back a little salary to get out of his contract early and go somewhere he could either play more or win a title. Meanwhile, the Knicks could save money. It’s a win-win — though it doesn’t have to go that way.

Rose has been consistent that there are priorities in life more important to him than chasing rings. He’s embraced his role as a mentor, even as his on-court contributions have dwindled,

“He’s made a lot of sacrifices for the team,” Thibodeau said. “But I think it’s great for us to have him. … He’s just such a great teammate and he’s been through so many things, has a great understanding of the NBA.”

The Knicks, meanwhile, may want to keep Rose around for reasons beyond just locker room presence. As The Athletic previously reported, the front office has floated the idea of holding onto Rose through the end of the season. If a trade for a star pops up on draft night, the Knicks could pick up his $15.6 million team option for 2023-24 and use his salary to make the math in a trade for a max contract work.

How about Evan Fournier?

The Knicks called around the league about Fournier, as well, but it doesn’t sound like they got close on anything. They were unwilling to attach draft compensation to Fournier just for the sake of dumping his contract, according to league sources. But they did consider downgrading assets in a Fournier deal — essentially, trading Fournier and one of their first-rounders for a less valuable first-rounder. However, they never found a worthwhile trade with that strategy, either.

Fournier makes $18 million this season and $18.9 million next season.

How about Obi Toppin and Quickley?

The trend for Quickley held true until the end.

Yes, the Knicks canvassed the league for Quickley trades back in autumn, but they became far more protective of him as he buried his way into Thibodeau’s circle of trust, league sources told The Athletic. By February, teams who spoke with New York about the 23-year-old at the beginning of the season say the Knicks’ approach had flipped. Not only did they make it clear they were no longer searching for a Quickley trade, but they also were, for the most part, shutting down inquiries into him.

Teams who called the Knicks about Toppin say New York set the price for him sky-high.

Now, Quickley and Toppin approach their first contractual milestone. This upcoming summer, they will both be eligible for the same type of extension Barrett signed off his rookie contract.

The Knicks could pay either or both. They could go into 2023-24 preparing for either to head into restricted free agency after that season. They could trade them. After all, if the Knicks are searching for star trades, then including promising young players is always on the table.

The deal with the first-round pick

The Knicks placed unconventional protections on the draft pick they’re sending to the Blazers. New York sends its 2023 first-rounder to Portland if it makes the playoffs this season. If it ends up in the lottery, it sends four second-rounders to Portland instead. The Athletic detailed the logic behind the protections here.

Here are the specific second-rounders the Knicks would send to the Blazers if they ended up in the 2023 lottery, according to a league source:

• Detroit Pistons’ in 2024
• Less favorable of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ or Knicks’ in 2026
• Knicks’ in 2027
• Knicks’ in 2028

Draft rights

The Knicks didn’t acquire only Hart in this four-team trade. They also landed the draft rights to two players: 31-year-old Bojan Dubljević and 29-year-old Daniel Diez.

So why do the Knicks care about the draft rights to players who are near the end of their primes and will probably never play in the NBA? For your answer, let’s go to New York’s cap guy, Brock Aller, who negotiates at least part of most of their trades.

This is what I wrote about Aller during the Knicks’ pursuit of Donovan Mitchell this past summer:

“Aller obsesses over marginal value, which should be refreshing for Knicks fans who remain traumatized from teams of the past needlessly tossing first-round picks into the fireplace. He wants to hold onto picks and acquire others. He notoriously squeezes teams just for the draft rights to an extra player, something that’s far more trivial to most others.

And thus, the Jazz and Knicks have the quintessential dynamic to let negotiations linger.

One side is famous for setting a price and sticking to it. The other is known for haggling over details so minute that, at times, trade partners have relented just to end the conversation and get the deal done.

Why do the draft rights to a 27-year-old player selected 47th seven years ago matter, anyway?”

Acquiring the draft rights to two guys who are a combined 60 years old and won’t ever come to the NBA is Aller’s version of the Zoro signature.

I haven’t gone through every team’s roster, but the Knicks might own draft rights to more international players than any other organization in the NBA. Most of them are ones who will never come to the league. Some of them are guys closer to grandfatherhood than to their draft date.

But if the Knicks can gobble up draft rights, they will.

Geek history

The Knicks can make history.

No, we’re not talking about getting into the playoffs or winning their first title in 50 years or, even bigger, finally ceasing to say “bing bong” after made baskets at MSG. No, this is a far more important extravaganza, one that basketball’s financial perfectionists (a group of people that must exist) will talk about for centuries to come.

If the Knicks play this right, they could come closer to the luxury tax without going into it than any franchise in NBA history.

Technically, the Knicks are about $3.2 million short of the luxury tax right now. But Isaiah Hartenstein has three incentives he will probably earn. Randle has one, too. The Knicks have to assume both of those guys will receive their bonuses. As Thibodeau might say, assuming their assumptions are correct, that would place New York $971,090 short of the tax — close to it, but nothing our great-grandchildren will learn about in their world civilization homework.

Oh, but there’s more.

Because the Knicks sent out three players and brought back only one in the Hart trade, they have only 13 guys with guaranteed contracts at the moment. NBA rules say they can’t go more than two weeks without reaching the league minimum of 14. They have no choice but to add more salary.

Exactly two weeks after the Hart trade is Feb. 23. Remember that date.

Minimum contracts prorate for the remainder of the season, meaning that a player who signs a minimum deal receives the per-game salary of a minimum contract but not 82 games’ worth.

The prorated minimum contract for a player who signs on Feb. 23 is $485,403. If the Knicks were to wait exactly two weeks after the Hart trade to sign someone and then signed two players on that date to fill out the rest of the roster, they would add $970,806 in payroll, meaning they would fall one Kindle short of the luxury tax threshold: a mere $284 under it!

The tax threshold is $150 million.

Leon Rose, Brock Aller — history is in your hands.