Knicks Considered a Genuine Finals Contender

Even if the New York Knicks were to wrap up their offseason within a week of the free agency window opening up, they could still be proud of the offseason they've had to this point.

Their decision to sack Tom Thibodeau after five years as the team's head coach initially looked like a hasty one, given the winding road they took in finding a new replacement that looked uncomfortably like the messy Knicks of old, but they eventually got their man in agreeing to terms with Mike Brown.

The accomplished coach looks to lead the Eastern Conference Finals runners-up into a season with real championship expectations, and he'll have a deeper team than what Thibodeau had at his expense last year. Most publications have them in one of the top tiers in projecting how 2025-26 will shake out, and the New York Post was no different in their projection.

Peter Botte was sure to separate the Knicks from a team like the Oklahoma City Thunder, the reigning champions who look uniquely positioned to continue dominating while boasting a world of room to grow within their young team, but they earned a comfortable spot in the next-best tier. They ranked just under the Houston Rockets, who cleaned up in free agency, and the consistent Cleveland Cavaliers in taking the No. 4 spot.

"The same goes for the Knicks after the team’s first trip to the conference finals since 2000," Botte wrote. "They are banking on Brown getting them there after firing Tom Thibodeau, and they’ve brought in a couple of needed bench pieces — Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele — behind All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns."

They're loaded in the starting lineup to go along with newfound depth, scoring veterans to make the lives easier for the stars while providing some support for Miles McBride, Josh Hart, the rising rookies and whatever's left of last season's deep cuts.

Their status as "Legit Finals Contenders" provides the Knicks with arguably their heftiest expectations of the 21st century. They finally look like they've crawled back from Eastern Conference anonymity with an impressive season and an inspiring bounce-back from what appeared to be a hairy offseason to take advantage of a conference that may have opened up for them.

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