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New York Knicks legend Willis Reed is most famous for courageously taking the court in Game 7 of the 1970 Finals despite a very serious leg injury, and scoring the first two baskets.

However, there was much more to him than that.

At 6-10 and 240, by the standards of his day, he was a big, powerful center. And to be clear, he was a big, powerful center.

In 1970, the Finals went to seven games, but Reed battled Wilt Chamberlain on relatively even terms until his injury.

In this video, from Game 4, you can get a sense of his toughness.

Like Bill Russell, Reed was born in Louisiana, about 35 miles away from Russell’s hometown. And like Russell, he grew up in a racist environment that forced him to learn to be relentlessly tough.

He was always a tier below Chamberlain, Russell, Nate Thurmond and, later, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar talent-wise, but his will and his desire made him the equal of all of them. He remains the archetypal Knick to this day, largely because of games like this.

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With free agency a few hours away, the New York Knicks are seemingly working on contingency plans already, given the inevitable departure of their best pending free agent in backup center Mitchell Robinson.

With the growing league-wide expectation that Robinson will depart in free agency, if only because of the stupid financial restrictions James Dolan has placed on the front office’s operations, the Knicks can’t just sit idle and hope for Ariel Hukporti to make a leap and turn into a beast.

According to NBA reporters Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, the Knicks are among the teams with interest in Kevon Looney, who is set to hit unrestricted free agency at 6 p.m. ET on June 30.

Looney has an $8 million team option in his two-year deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, but, according to Chris Haynes, the franchise will decline it, effectively making the three-time NBA champion an unrestricted free agent.

As is obvious, the report links New York’s pursuit of Looney directly to Robinson’s situation and expected exit, noting that the Knicks’ level of interest in any veteran center will depend on how free agency unfolds for Robinson, even though his departure looks set in stone now. The Celtics, per the same two, are also looking to make Looney their “first splash in free agency.”

“If Robinson does, in fact, depart New York amid the Knicks’ well-chronicled financial constraints as the dreaded second apron closes in, sources say that the newly crowned champions are expected to try to bring on a veteran center with plenty of playoff experience: Former Warriors big man Kevon Looney.

“It’s believed that Looney is also on Boston’s list of center targets, which is likewise known to feature former Celtics big man Robert Williams III. Yet don’t forget that Knicks coach Mike Brown has a pre-existing relationship with Looney thanks to their time together in Golden State.” — Marc Stein and Jake Fischer

Already 30 years old, Looney spent a decade with the Golden State Warriors and won three titles with the Dubs—one of them as the starting center—before joining New Orleans before last season. Too bad for Looney, his role diminished significantly, with the veteran only appearing in 21 regular-season games and missing the playoffs entirely.

Looney averaged 2.8 points and 5.6 rebounds with the Pels last season while logging 14.7 minutes of playing time, but he can easily be considered one of the best backup bigs this free agent cycle as a reliable rebounder and screen-setter with a veteran presence.

On top of that, there’s a legit connection between Looney and Knicks head coach Mike Brown, who worked with Looney in Golden State during the latter’s time there as an assistant coach.

We all know by now that the Knicks are unlikely to retain Robinson, largely due to owner James Dolan’s refusal to cross the second apron, and the aftermath of such a decision is already being felt in New York. The franchise traded out of the first round of last week’s draft and avoided adding salary to their books in all sorts of ways. The Knicks have only re-signed Jose Alvarado and Mo Diawara to manageable, low-money deals, preparing for what’s coming.

With Mitch on his way out, and as things stand before the start of free agency, the Knicks do not have any depth center signed for the upcoming season. Among their pending free agents, only Ariel Hukporti seems capable of filling one of the bench spots, but it’s a bit of a stretch to trust him to take over Robinson’s sixth-man role, considering what we’ve seen from him up to now.

In any case, there’s simply no way that, even if New York brings back Huk, they get into next season with a two-man center rotation alongside Karl-Anthony Towns and no third-string backup to use in case of emergency.

According to The Athletic’s John Hollinger and his BORD$ estimations, Looney is worth around $4.1 million, although he envisions the veteran signing a minimum deal.

You can follow Antonio on Twitter at @chapulana.

The Brooklyn Nets on Sunday declined their $6.25 million team option on Ziaire Williams, making him an unrestricted free agent and calling into question his future in Brooklyn. While, the Nets could re-sign him, there’s also a possibility that he could sign elsewhere and Brooklyn would lose him for nothing.

Indeed, not long after the news broke, there was report out of Los Angeles that the Lakers may have interest in the 6’9″ small forward who Jordi Fernandez used as a 3-and-D forward last season.

Mike Scotto was first with the news…

The Nets signed Williams — along with Day’Ron Sharpe — to identical two-year $12.5 million deals last summer, each with a team option for the second year at $6.25 million. While the Nets and Sharpe mutually decided on Saturday to extend the decision on his team option through Monday, suggesting perhaps the two sides were working on an extension, there was no such agreement with Williams.

Seen in the best light for the California native, the team could simply be preserving cap space to add to its flexibility prior to the start of free agency Tuesday when teams can start talking to free agents on other teams. One they dealt with other issues, they could return and sign him using Bird Rights or work him into the $9.4 million MLE the Nets are likely to have. In the worst light, it means the team will be moving on from him.

Yossi Gozlan explained the Nets cap situation in a tweet Sunday…

Although he finished with a career high 10.2 points and 1.4 steals in 22.9 minutes last season, he displayed inconsistency and early in the season it led to him getting a DNP for a game. In late November, Jordi Fernandez kept him out of game in hopes of encouraging him to more consistent and show more energy. The Nets coach was public in his reasoning.

When asked if he would play the next game, Fernandez was non-committal.

“It’s a very abstract question because I just talked to him and didn’t play him last game,” Fernández told Brian Lewis. “So if — whenever he has the next opportunity to play — he consistently does it, then we will see if I was successful or not. If not, it’s not on him; it’s on me to try to find ways for him to perform consistently.

“Energy is not a subjective thing. … What we need is his ball pressure to be elite, his deflections to be elite, his pick-and-roll defense to be elite, his iso defense to be elite. … Last year, he was above average, one of the top players in the NBA. We need that to be the same or better because I know he can do it.”

Following that decision, Williams played with more consistency. Assuming he returns to Brooklyn, he’s likely to once again back up Michael Porter Jr. at small forward or the newly acquired Julius Randle at power forward. The Nets have a number of young forwards as well, including Danny Wolf, Drake Powell and perhaps even first round pick Joshua Jefferson. None are at Williams defensive level.

However, Dan Woike of The Athletic wrote Sunday night aht the Nets might get competition from the Lakers. He wrote:

According to a league source, one player the Lakers could take a look at in free agency is Brooklyn small forward Zaire Williams, who had his team option declined by the Nets on Sunday. The Lakers have desires to get younger and more athletic on the wing, and Williams is coming off back-to-back seasons in Brooklyn where he averaged more than 10 points and shot better than 34 percent from 3-point range.

The Nets declined his $6.25 million option for next season while dealing with a roster crunch.

The bet for the Lakers would be that at 6-9 with a nearly 40-inch vertical leap, that Williams could be an impact defensive player with room for growth on the offensive side of the ball. He has fans inside the Lakers’ facility.

There are local connections too — Williams was a teammate of Bronny James at Sierra Canyon.

Williams is one of four players with team options. As noted, Sharpe also has a $6.25 team option. In addition, Josh Minott, acquired from the Celtics at the deadline, has a $2.5 million option and Malachi Smith, called up from Long Island late in the season has a $1.1 million option.

With Sean Marks facing the media Monday afternoon, he’s likely to be fielding questions the team options as well as introducing the team’s three draft picks.

• Nets decline Ziaire Williams’ $6.25 million team option despite career year – Brian Lewis – New York Post

When we think of a type, we’re usually thinking of the type of person we’d like to date. For many of us, it’s finding literally anyone who treats us nicely, is okay with a little heft in the middle, and can put up with an unhealthy obsession with Jazz basketball (sobs softly).

But this is a basketball article! And when we’re talking about types, we’re talking about NBA players. More specifically, we’re talking about Danny Ainge’s type. Let’s take a look at some of the most well-known players Ainge picked, traded for, or didn’t trade, and see if there’s a trend.

Paul Pierce

Pierce was drafted in 1998, obviously before Ainge arrived as the General Manager in 2003. Pierce was on some disastrous Rick Pitino teams before Ainge arrived. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Ainge in his time with the Jazz, it’s that he holds onto winning talent. Or, at the very least, won’t trade that talent unless he receives the right value for a player. There were multiple times that Ainge could have traded Pierce, but he made sure to keep him and then made him the cornerstone when he traded for Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.

Pierce was a clutch scoring wing with size who was a cornerstone of everything the Celtics did on their way to a title run. He was also a solid defender who helped contribute to elite Celtic defenses.

Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett

The name of the game here is talent, and that’s what Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen brought to the Celtics. Allen is considered one of the greatest shooters of all time, but was an athlete who guarded his yard. Kevin Garnett was an elite defensive center who won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2008. Garnett was also a talented offensive player who could score in a variety of ways on the offensive end.

With Pierce, Allen, and Garnett, we’re starting to see a trend. Talent is the name of the game, and Ainge will clearly side with talent. And not just one-sided talent, but two-way talent. If you’re an elite offensive player, you’d better be able to defend. If you’re a defense-first prospect, you have to be capable of scoring in the offense. Perhaps this is pretty obvious, but it is clear that Ainge is willing to bet on players who show the talent he knows can lead to wins.

Rajon Rondo

Ainge drafted Rondo the year before trading for Garnett and Allen. Rondo had impressive size, defense, and playmaking despite an underwhelming jumper. Ainge knew the value of Rondo, and when trade talks were happening to bring over Allen and Garnett, he made sure to keep him.

Like the prospects before, Rondo was an elite defensive guard who had a high IQ on offense and was an elite point guard. Rondo might not have worked in this current NBA era with how teams might guard him, but in that era, he was able to be enough of a threat that he was able to overcome his flaws.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown

The Js, as they’re called in Boston, are two elite two-way wings in Boston. Tatum, before the injury, was a top-ten player in the league and was the engine of an elite Celtics offense. He’s also a high-level defender willing to guard whatever assignment is given him. Jaylen Brown was an elite athlete when he was drafted and developed into an elite offensive player, making him one of the best two-way wings in the league.

If you could ever point to a “type” for Ainge, it would be these two. Both ooze talent on both sides of the ball, and both are ferocious competitors who will do whatever it takes to win. If you wanted to describe the Ainge type, the easiest way to do it would be to simply say, “Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.”

Does Darryn Peterson fit the type?

This is probably an easy answer, but here is the long version. When you watch Darryn Peterson’s tape, it screams talent. On offense, he can do everything literally. He has a silky jumper that he can get off with a viper-quick release. He scores at all levels and in all ways with a savant-level touch and understanding of how to put the ball in the basket. His handle is underrated, along with his ability to make every pass. On defense, he was one of the best defensive prospects among the top prospects in the draft. His stocks (steals+blocks) are great, and he has the potential to be an elite defender with his 6’10” wingspan.

Basically, Darryn Peterson is an ELITE jumbo guard prospect who will play both sides of the ball. And in reality, defense is the only slight question the Jazz might have. Don’t believe me, this was the most important message Danny Ainge wanted to send to Peterson when he talked to him.

The other thing that Jazz fans should be excited about is how well Danny Ainge does spotting talent at the top of the draft. FanDuel has Darryn Peterson with the second-best odds at winning Rookie of the Year. With how well Danny Ainge picks players, that might be an easy bet.

It’s been a few days of hearing increasing whispers about the future (or rather a lack of it) of Mitchell Robinson in New York, but outside of that, we’ve talked more about cap machinations, draft-day trades, and all sorts of other things about what or what not to do following James Dolan’s second-apron mandate.

Well, with free agency opening on Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET and just a few hours left for the market to get going, we’re starting to get more reports and information about the rest of the Knicks’ crop of free agents, including veteran guard Jordan Clarkson.

According to the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy, in an out-of-the-blue column posted on Sunday, Clarkson remains a legitimate candidate to return to New York despite the Knicks’ tough financial situation.

“Even with a mandate to avoid the second apron, I’ve heard Jordan Clarkson remains a possibility to re-sign with Knicks. Can’t rule out that reunion,” Bondy reported.

At the end of the day, Clarkson’s case to return is likely shaped by both role and cost.

Already 34, Clarkson signed a one-year minimum deal worth $2.3 million last offseason and is expected to command a similar contract this summer. With the Knicks having just around $14 million to fill four roster spots (two of those might go to the recently-drafted second-round rookies) after re-signing Mo Diawara and Jose Alvarado, bringing back Clarkson at something around $2.5 million wouldn’t disrupt the cap structure at all.

Clarkson’s first season in New York was uneven, to say the least. Clarkson appeared in 72 regular-season games, yes, but he averaged career lows of 8.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists while falling in and out of the rotation. As the veteran he is, however, JC was a strong presence in the locker room, stayed patient, and contributed during the postseason, appearing in 18 postseason games and playing a role in the NBA Finals as the Knicks secured their first title since 1973.

If Robinson (nearly guaranteed to leave) and Landry Shamet (likely to sign a big deal elsewhere) depart in free agency, the Knicks would retain their financial flexibility, although they’d definitely be losing their sixth and seventh/eighth-best players, both of them key rotational pieces.

In that scenario, Clarkson could return on another minimum deal and instantly become one of the best and most proven performers on the Knicks roster, pending further free-agent signings or trades for players under contract.

You can follow Antonio on Twitter at @chapulana.

The start of free agency is just hours away. While teams won’t be able to actually sign contracts until July 6th, they can start negotiating on June 30th, and there are a lot of interesting names both in the free agency pool and on the trade block. We’ve already had the massive Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miami move, and there could be more coming.

The Spurs, coming off a Finals appearance in their return to the playoffs, might not go for a big splash, but they do have some roster spots to fill and some roles where they could use an upgrade or more experience. So let’s see what San Antonio needs, how it can get it, and what would make for a successful offseason.

Do the Spurs have cap space? How can they sign free agents?

The Spurs could technically carve up some minimal cap space, but in reality, they’ll act as an over-the-cap team. So what does that mean? Well, they’ll have the non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception worth around $15 million at their disposal, as well as the bi-annual exception worth around $5.5 million since they didn’t use it last year. It should be enough to add some talent.

They will also be able to re-sign their own free agents if they have Bird rights to them without much concern, since they are well below the second apron. Whether they’ll have an interest in bringing most of them back is a different story, but there have been reports that they might try to keep Harrison Barnes. Currently, they have nine players under standard contracts, but that number will move to 11 once they sign their two first-round draft picks.

What about trades? Can the Spurs make something big happen?

The Spurs have young players, draft picks, and contracts large and small to make a big trade, but not without losing key contributors in the process. They had expendable expiring contracts last season, like Kelly Olynyk’s and Harrison Barnes’, to match salaries easily, but now to make a big move for an expensive player, they would have to include guys like Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, and/or Luke Kornet, all of whom were in the rotation last year.

Does that mean there’s no chance a trade happens? Not really. Johnson and Kornet struggled in the playoffs, and despite their contributions in the regular season, the front office might consider them expendable. De’Aaron Fox also wasn’t at his best in the postseason, but Brian Wright has said the team remains committed to him. He’s also said he expects most of this group to be back, which likely means that while possible, a big move is unlikely.

What are the Spurs’ needs?

The Spurs have a strong foundation, but there’s one type of player that they are missing: a big forward who can shoot and also spend time as a small-ball center. Now, that type of player is extremely hard to find, and every team that doesn’t have one wants one, so there are not many available. Especially not proven playoff performers who could be had with the mid-level exception.

That said, San Antonio could still use someone who can fill one of the two roles. Among the available big forwards who can shoot, there are names like Tobias Harris, Sandro Mamukelashvili, John Collins, Saddiq Bey, and Rui Hachimura, among others, who will likely sign for mid-level exception money. The Spurs could also retain Barnes to fill that role or rely on the development of Carter Bryant.

Are there any Spurs-related rumors out there?

Unsurprisingly, the Spurs have been linked to a bunch of forwards, but there’s nothing concrete. They are reportedly “expected” to be interested in John Collins and Dean Wade, according to The Stein Line Mark Stein($) and HoopsHype Michael Scotto, respectively. Now, expected to be doesn’t mean they are, but they could be. Stein did say the Spurs are interested in Rui Hachimura, so that seems more of a report than speculation.

The Spurs were also linked to Kawhi Leonard by ESPN’s Bobby Marks and are reportedly one of the two franchises with which Leonard would sign an extension, with the other being the Raptors, according to Stein($). But while Toronto is reportedly interested in a reunion, there has been no news about whether San Antonio is. The answer, considering how badly things ended between franchise and player, is likely “no” even before considering the Clippers’ potentially high asking price.

What’s a realistic scenario for the Spurs in free agency?

Anything can happen in the NBA. We’ve seen signings and trades no one was expecting. But considering how good the Spurs were last season, the tools they have at their disposal to add talent and the few holes on the roster, it wouldn’t be surprising if this offseason is a quiet one for San Antonio.

As mentioned, getting a forward with size who can shoot is the biggest need for the Spurs. They will likely try to find someone using part of the entirety of the mid-level exception. Before the draft, getting a quality third big man seemed like a need, but after selecting two centers, including a seemingly NBA-ready big man in Tarris Reed Jr., it now seems like more of a luxury. Still, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to secure the services of either a shooting big man or a rim protector. If someone who can play is available, either with part of the mid-level exception or the bi-annual exception, it would be smart to secure their services.

It’s hard to name the targets when there haven’t been many reports about who the Spurs want, but a successful offseason would be to get, say, Rui Hachimura and Larry Nance Jr., or John Collins and Simone Fontecchio, for example. While those specific players might not be available, as long as the Spurs add some shooting and size, the offseason would be a success. If they retain Barnes, adding a big man or a guard for cheap to round out their roster would likely be the play.

When does free agency start again? And how can I remain informed?

Teams can start negotiating with free agents on Tuesday, June 30th, at 5 p.m. CT. Make sure to visit Pounding the Rock for all your Spurs-related news and discussion.

The Nets declined their $6.25 million team option for forward Ziaire Williams on Sunday, sources told The Post.

While Brooklyn could still end up re-signing Williams, he’ll be an unrestricted free agent after spending the past two seasons with the Nets and is coming off a career year.

Since his cap hold is actually higher than what his salary was, the Nets wouldn’t save any space by declining his team option unless they actually go ahead and renounce his rights.

Williams averaged a career-high 10.2 points and 1.4 steals in 22.9 minutes last season, spread over 56 games (13 starts).

He missed the last five games with a left foot injury.

The Nets project to have $40 million in cap space, according to Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron, before their trade for Julius Randle becomes official.

It could be less if they decline center Day’Ron Sharpe’s team option and re-sign him to a new deal.

Brooklyn and Sharpe agreed to move the deadline for his team option back to Monday, sources told The Post.

There has been a lot of smoke over the past couple of days regarding Marcus Smart leaving for the Rockets.

Smart has a player option for the 2026-27 NBA season. Given how well he played on a relatively modest salary, it’s been reported that he could opt out for a bigger payday this summer, with the Rockets as a potential destination.

Now, late Sunday evening, Dan Woike of The Athletic is reporting that Smart is likely to opt out and that Houston is considered the favorite to land the guard.

As option day approaches, the belief around the league, according to multiple sources, is that Lakers guard Marcus Smart will opt out and seek a longer-term deal in unrestricted free agency. Smart, 32, was a critical piece for the Lakers last season, starting 54 of 62 games and giving the team its most consistent defensive presence on the perimeter. Smart’s best basketball came in the NBA postseason, when the short-handed Lakers upset Houston in the first round of the playoffs.

Strangely enough, according to team and league sources, the belief is that the Rockets will be the team most likely to land Smart once free agency opens on June 30 thanks to a multi-year deal. Smart played for Rockets coach Ime Udoka in Boston.

This is bad news for the Lakers. They reportedly wanted Smart back, but now it looks like that’s not in the cards for them.

Losing your best defensive guard in free agency doesn’t get you closer to being a title contender. Sure, Smart has his offensive limitations, but he is also a great defender and a hardworking player.

Ideally, Smart would be a Laker again, playing on a $5.4 million contract. And the Lakers could’ve still tried to find a starting guard so Smart could be slotted in a reserve role.

If this report becomes reality, they’ll have no choice but to replace Smart, likely with a far more expensive player, and good luck with that person being as good as Smart was last year.

Smart selecting the Rockets would add some additional salt to the Lakers’ wounds.

One game seperated the Lakers and Rockets in the regular season. If Smart switches sides, an argument can be made that Houston has gotten slightly better and Los Angeles is heading in the other direction.

There’s plenty of time left to shape this roster, but based on the rumors, there’s not much good news coming out about the purple and gold. This is likely why fans have limited confidence in this front office heading into this summer.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.