Knicks Not Trading for James Harden: Smart or Stupid?
The New York Knicks are following last year's dynamic offseason with one that doesn't have as big of a splash.
After completely shifting the foundation of their team to Jalen Brunson by signing him to a four-year, $104 million contract last summer, the Knicks are looking to further build their squad around their point guard.
All that has meant so far is signing Donte DiVincenzo, his college teammate at Villanova, and trading away Obi Toppin before he entered the final year of his rookie contract. The Knicks could have made a bigger trade, like dealing for disgruntled Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden, but New York has gone against that ... for now.
That's part of the reason why the Knicks were given a "B" on Bleacher Report's offseason report cards.
"The New York Knicks haven't made a big splash this offseason. They're among the teams that have been connected to James Harden, but what they've done so far might actually be the wiser route," Bleacher Report writes.
"No, Donte DiVincenzo is not as good as Harden, but he won't do anything to derail the ongoing rise of Jalen Brunson. A more organic build around him makes sense, and DiVincenzo's rebounding, playmaking, and outside shooting should be purely additive."
Harden is also on an expiring contract, which makes it difficult to trade for him because he has a sound chance to simply leave a year from now if he isn't impressed with his current situation, something he's now done three times with the Houston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets, and 76ers.
While Harden lifts the ceiling for the Knicks, it is a massive risk ... one that probably isn't worth taking considering how much the team has already invested in Brunson.
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