The aftermath of New York Knicks’ Finals win, combined with the upcoming NBA Draft and free agency, has become a discourse on the overall nature of roster building.
Will more teams take the Knicks’ path? Are draft picks still valuable?
It’s an interesting question and one that has infiltrated conversations with a number of front-office executives. From an outsider’s perspective, the copycat nature of sports (in which the NBA is not exempt) dictates at least the pursuit of some shared elements of success, especially considering how the Knicks assembled their core. Outside of Finals MVP Jalen Brunson, who was acquired through free agency, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns all arrived via trades.
“I think everyone’s curious to see how teams view picks now because there’s more teams in the lottery now,” said one executive. “The odds are even flatter. I’ll be shocked if more teams are open to moving picks.”
In truth, the value of picks — and draft capital as a whole — is a complicated relationship that depends on where teams find themselves within the contention ecosystem, their financial health and roster crunches.
Take Oklahoma City, for example. This time last year, Aaron Wiggins was coming off a productive postseason with 300 minutes under his belt, a key cog in their Finals run. The decision to reportedly move him now for a pair of second-round picks in 2030 and 2032 — which saves the Thunder around $60 million in tax savings for a player that had quietly fallen down the pecking order — is smart business. Taking additional steps and declining team options for Kenrich Williams and Lu Dort, slated to earn a combined $24 million in 2026-27, would offer even more financial flexibility.
Somewhere between being eliminated in the Western Conference finals and now, the Thunder’s brass saw the looming tax bill, identified a fine player in a vacuum but an overflow in reality, and pulled the trigger. In this instance, the cost of business, a pair of second-round picks, becomes incredibly valuable. Wiggins’ new team, the Hawks, are able to get its hands on a premier floor spacer at a relatively low cost all while helping the Thunder save millions.
That template, which could become more prevalent over the coming weeks for teams, including Cleveland, another conference finalist, also offers a reminder of the sliding scale between contending and not. And while Wiggins is used as a case study, it’s a larger scope than role players. Some executives believe unprotected picks now have considerably more upside, even if they belong to middle-of-the-pack teams, which should yield more movement. Others think that future negotiations will have even tighter restrictions/protections on said picks, thus incentivizing teams to hoard as many as possible.
As the Milwaukee Bucks continue to attempt to extract as much possible value from a Giannis Antetokounmpo deal — with the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat having emerged as the two preferred destinations for the former MVP and champion — the directional dysfunction, one angle that has irked Antetokounmpo and is a catalyst for his impending exit, still remains.
“They’ve run into the issue they probably anticipated in that now Giannis has one year left [on his current contract],” one executive said. “At the deadline, there were more teams interested because they would have had him for this year’s playoffs and next year. Now, teams are more reluctant to give up more if Giannis is unwilling to commit long term.”
Given that the Celtics’ offer is contingent on Jaylen Brown’s inclusion — despite a denial that has amused rival executives — there’s an increasing sense that not only is Brown comfortable with the idea of leaving Boston and being traded to Milwaukee, but is hoping to find a resolution over the next 48 hours, league sources said.
And, for much of how these last months have gone within Milwaukee’s front office, the buck (no pun intended) stops with them. Do the Bucks prefer the Heat’s package, with the likes of Tyler Herro, young talent and draft capital, or the Celtics’ package, which would land them an All-NBA two-way superstar in his prime? The clock is ticking.
Rockets open for business?
Another trickle-down effect from the Finals is further clarity from teams eliminated in earlier rounds. When the Houston Rockets traded for Kevin Durant last July, there was an internal belief that a team that had won 52 games, developed talent and added future Hall of Famer Durant would take the next step. What wasn’t accounted for were season-ending injuries to Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams, two integral parts of a team predicated on manipulating possessions, or a roster that had an incomplete makeup.
An in-depth analysis of both the Western Conference finals and the NBA Finals revealed that the Rockets are a ways away from the upper echelon of teams, both in their own conference and the league as a whole. Such a reflection has influenced how they approach the open market, taking more of a wholesale approach than simply the “run it back” mantra previously held.
Rival teams that have contacted the Rockets recently have been informed that 23-year-old Amen Thompson is the only near untouchable on the roster, league sources told Yahoo Sports. Houston isn’t actively shopping its All-Stars or other key members, sources said, but are merely expressing more of a willingness to listen than at previous junctures. Concerning Thompson, who will be entering his fourth season and is expected to command a lucrative extension, Houston’s brass has already communicated its intentions and plans to continue talks following the draft. The Rockets also wish to retain 3-and-D wing Tari Eason, team sources said — despite outside interest from the Los Angeles Lakers, Brooklyn Nets and a number of teams that have gauged Houston’s willingness in sign-and-trade scenarios.
The Rockets’ deepened understanding of their current standing also lends itself to a potential trade of veteran forward Dorian Finney-Smith, who signed a four-year, $53 million deal last offseason. Finney-Smith averaged career lows in minutes, points, rebounds, field-goal percentage and 3-point percentage while dealing with lingering issues stemming from surgery on his left ankle a year ago. Houston, which has plans to reshape its bench, hopes to dive into the free-agent market and would need to clear room — with Finney-Smith’s contract being the most team-friendly — to do so. Finney-Smith has registered reasonable interest around the league, sources said, with the understanding that he should return to full strength by next season.
Teams looking to trade up in the draft
Charlotte, armed with picks Nos. 14 and 18, is believed to be exploring avenues to move up, sources said, along with Chicago at No. 15 (which also owns the 4th pick) and Memphis at No. 16 (which also owns the 3rd overall selection).
Because of the gulf in talent between the likely lottery picks and the remainder of the draft, a number of teams in the back third of the first round have expressed an eagerness to escape that region, sources said, whether by making an attempt to move up or trading out of the round altogether. Previous chatter elsewhere in the lottery — that the Los Angeles Clippers, Nets and Sacramento Kings were open to moving (5th, 6th and 7th, respectively) — is being met with skepticism ahead of Tuesday’s draft.
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