The Knicks are back to the drawing board after a season of accomplishment. The club won 51 games, its most since 2013, and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in a quarter century.
But the NBA rarely slows down. Now, it’s time for the Knicks to look at how to rebound for next season. Despite being limited by salary cap constraints, it seems like there’s still endless possibilities this offseason. There’s talk of pursuing stars on the trade market and signing potential free agents.
Here are a few areas of focus the Knicks could have for the 2025 offseason.
Going star hunting
One way the Knicks can shake up the roster is acquiring a superstar-level talent. Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo and Phoenix Suns veteran Kevin Durant are among the high-caliber players coming up in the trade rumor mill.
Antetokounmpo specifically is intriguing. He finished third in MVP voting this year and causes constant problems for opponents. But the Knicks don’t have much to trade for the star compared to other teams.
It’s hard to envision Milwaukee having interest in Karl-Anthony Towns. Even if New York is able to cobble together the salaries and draft picks, does the franchise want to further cannibalize an already thin roster? That will be what they have to weigh going into the offseason.
Figure out the coaching situation quickly
Despite support from star Jalen Brunson, Tom Thibodeau’s status as head coach remains one of the largest questions the Knicks will face this offseason. Thibodeau was criticized heavily for rotations, minutes, and strategic decisions throughout the season.
But the results also speak volumes too. New York advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years. The club has won four playoff series in the last three seasons. Before this stretch, the Knicks had won one playoff series from 2001 to Thibodeau’s arrival in 2020.
Also, several players including Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, Isaiah Hartenstein, Julius Randle and Nerlens Noel have all had career years under Thibodeau. Whatever decision the Knicks make on Thibodeau’s future will be a difficult one.
Find a perimeter playmaker
The Indiana Pacers’ full-court pressure, aggressive defense, and frenetic style of play clearly wore on Brunson throughout the Eastern Conference finals. Though he shot well enough (50.4 percent), Brunson turned the ball over 25 times, the most he’s ever had in a series.
One issue the Knicks had was the lack of another perimeter playmaker to alleviate the pressure on Brunson to initiate everything. Especially with Cameron Payne benched in favor of defensive options like Landry Shamet and Delon Wright, it left New York without a reliable ball-handler and playmaker.
Tyrese Haliburton has Andrew Nembhard. Donovan Mitchell has Darius Garland. Brunson could use that kind of help so defenses can’t just load up and guard him every possession.
Given their salary structure, the Knicks can’t break the bank. The Knicks most likely will have their taxpayer midlevel exception ($5.7 million). There are some guards that could fill the role who are free agents like Tyus Jones and Dennis Schroder. Both players could likely capture more on the market, and that leads us further down the chart to options like Spencer Dinwiddie.
Youth movement
If the Knicks aren’t able to snag a playmaker as a free agent or on the trade market, internal improvement should be a priority for the club. Despite having four picks in last year’s draft on the roster, New York’s contributions from its rookies were limited.
Ariel Hukporti and Tyler Kolek both saw spot rotation minutes due to injury. First round pick Pacome Dadiet spent some time in the G League, and Kevin McCullar Jr. was rehabbing from a knee injury for much of the year. In all, the rookies played just 653 combined minutes.
Thibodeau has often been reluctant to play the younger players on the roster. But for a Knicks team approaching the second apron, drafting well and developing young talent is a differentiating skill that separates winners from losers in the NBA. This might be one of the more important summers for the Knicks’ young players.
