Ranking Leon Rose's 9 Best Moves in Building the Knicks' Championship Team

Leon Rose has become one of the NBA's best executives, with hardly any blemishes on his record.

Nov 9, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks President Leon Rose sits courtside during pregame warmups prior to the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

New York Knicks team president Leon Rose has rightfully received tons of praise for his methodical building of the Knicks into a championship team.

Rose took over a moribund, directionless franchise in 2020 and has built it, brick by brick, through clever trades, value signings, smart drafting, and opportunistic transactions.

This Knicks championship team is a rarity in NBA history as their starting five were all acquired via trades or free agency. The Knicks became just the third team since 1976 to have a championship-winning starting five that did not begin their careers with the Knicks.

Rose has never won Executive of the Year, but is often considered one of the best executives in the league, thanks to a stealth, wheeling-and-dealing operating style, with very few blemishes on his record.

Below, we'll rank Rose’s nine best moves as Knicks president. But first, a quick explanation of why two marquee moves do not make our rankings:

The Mikal Bridges trade: This is Rose’s most “all-in” move. While we adopt the mindset that if you win a championship, you win the trade, the concept of trading five first-round picks is still a little dicey. Bridges' Knicks career has been up-and-down, though he's mostly played well in the playoffs, with some huge individual moments. That said, many team executives could trade five first-round picks to acquire a player; it's not exactly a stroke of genius.

The Karl-Anthony Towns trade: Pick a date at random over the past two seasons, and fans and analysts will be split on whether the Knicks won or lost this trade. The Ringer’s Zach Lowe was officially declaring it a win for the Wolves just months ago, before backtracking more recently.

It was a big swing by Rose and Co., and a bet on a higher ceiling with Towns’ skill and shooting. It’s paid off now, but we can’t ignore the amount of hand-wringing done by fans and analysts over the past two seasons over whether it was the right move.

Now, the rankings:

9. Signing Julius Randle to a four-year, $117 million extension (2021)

New York Knicks forward Julius Randle (30) controls the ball against Brooklyn Nets forward Cameron Johnson (2) during the second quarter at Barclays Center. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Rose did not sign Randle to his original contract in the summer of 2019. He did give Randle the very reasonable extension after an All-NBA season in 2020-21 that saw the Knicks make the playoffs for the first time in eight years.

Randle would make two more All-Star teams with the Knicks and was in the midst of another All-NBA season and one of his best personal stretches when he injured his shoulder in 2024. Randle would not play another game for the Knicks.

Randle never delivered a classic playoff moment and wasn’t on the floor for the Knicks’ highest highs, but he deserves credit for turning around the team. And his $27 million salary in 2024 was a perfect trade piece for acquiring Towns.

8. Signing Landry Shamet to a training camp contract (2025)

Shamet signed a non-guaranteed training camp deal with the Knicks last September. He had to beat out Garrison Matthews for the last spot on the roster, and that’s only because Malcolm Brogdon retired during training camp.

New York Knicks guard Landry Shamet (44) drives to the basket as San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper (2) defends during game three of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

There’s a case that Shamet had the most valuable veteran’s minimum contract in the league this season. Shamet’s playoff exploits will live in New York history forever. He didn’t finish the NBA Finals strong, but he played a huge role off the bench in the semis, conference finals, and Games 1 and 2 of the Finals. 

He’s set for a big raise this summer — hopefully with the Knicks.

7. Signing Miles McBride to a three-year, $13 million extension (2024)

New York Knicks guard Miles McBride (2) reacts during the second quarter of game two of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2026 NBA playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

McBride signed this extension in 2024, when he was thrust into a more prominent role after Immanuel Quickley was traded.

Is McBride angry at his agent now? McBride’s deal is one of the biggest steals in the NBA — it actually declines year by year, meaning McBride will make just $3.9 million next year.

Those types of value deals are crucial for contenders to stay afloat as their stars’ contracts become richer. McBride didn’t have a great postseason (and, frankly, had an awful Finals), but he has been a valuable Sixth Man for the Knicks for 2.5 seasons now. He’s extension-eligible this summer, but the Knicks will enjoy one more season of having a very talented 3-and-D bench guard on a discount.

6. Trading for Immanuel Quickley on draft day (2020)

New York Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley (5) reacts during the second quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Quickley was technically drafted by the Thunder, but the Knicks traded for him on draft day.

“IQ” quickly became a valuable reserve guard and a fan-favorite. He played a big role in the Knicks’ rise to an Eastern Conference contender.

He was also the critical piece in the OG Anunoby trade. While the Raptors were happy to land a hometown wing in RJ Barrett, Quickley was the prize of that trade for Toronto. The Knicks might not get Anunoby without having Quickley, who, it should be noted, has not lived up to a $175 million contract in Toronto.

5. Hiring Mike Brown as head coach (2025)

New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown speaks with the media before the game between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks in game two of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center. | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Firing Tom Thibodeau was a bold move. It’s impossible to say how the 2025-26 season would’ve turned out with Thibodeau at the helm.

However, we can make some assumptions based on Brown and Thibodeau's coaching styles. It’s safe to assume that Thibodeau would not have pulled the same kinds of levers as Brown did all season, from adjusting the offense (multiple times) to playing a deep bench to keeping his starters’ minutes low throughout the season and pulling them early in blowouts. Brown had his ups and downs this season, but his flexibility undeniably played a big part in the Knicks' championship run.

Brown was not the Knicks’ first choice once they fired Thibodeau, but he ended up being the right choice.

4. Signing Donte DiVincenzo to a four-year, $46 million contract (2023)

New York Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo (0) reacts after a made basket during game six of the second round for the 2024 NBA playoffs against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Is DiVincenzo the most beloved single-season Knick?

DiVincenzo’s name is in the Knicks’ record books. He has the franchise record for made threes in a season, and he delivered the classic “double bang,” go-ahead three against the 76ers in Game 2 of the 2024 playoffs. He was one of the faces of the scrappy, beloved 2024 Knicks.

He was also a pivotal piece in the Towns trade. Like Quickley in the Anunoby trade, the Wolves coveted DiVincenzo. According to reports, the Wolves were not swayed by the Knicks' original offer of Randle, Mitchell Robinson, and a first-round pick for Towns — they wanted DiVincenzo.

It was a tough pill to swallow for the Knicks, but they ultimately included their prized shooting guard to land Towns. It was the right move.

3. Trading Cam Reddish and a first-round pick for Josh Hart (2023)

New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) reacts after making a basket against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the second quarter of game two of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2026 NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

An undeniable win for the Knicks. Nothing even needs to be said about the outgoing package.

Hart’s arrival is an underrated moment in the Knicks’ turnaround. The Knicks went 17-8 to finish the ‘22-23 season after trading for Hart, who injected the lineup with toughness, defense, and energy with his arrival.

Hart has had numerous huge playoff moments in 3.5 seasons with the Knicks, and after Brunson, might be the face of this Knicks era.

2. Trading RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and a second-round pick for OG Anunoby (2024)

New York Knicks forward Og Anunoby (8) runs up court after a basket during the second quarter of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2026 NBA playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Another undeniable steal for the Knicks.

That isn’t a slight toward Barrett or Quickley. Barrett’s been very good for the Raptors. Quickley has struggled (mostly with injuries) but is seemingly a big part of Toronto’s future. It hurt the Knicks to give up both.

But neither Barrett nor Quickley offered the ceiling Anunoby has shown. The Knicks have been a contender ever since Anunoby arrived (that includes the ‘23-24 team, which was decimated by injuries, but likely would have made the East Finals had they stayed healthy). Anunoby is not only one of the best two-way players in the NBA, but one could argue he has a case for being the best current player not to make an All-Star team.

Anunoby is coming off a championship run that will go down in New York sports history: 20 points per game on 56% shooting, 48% from three, 6 rebounds and 2.5 “stocks” per game, and countless big plays, including the "Hand of God" tip-in in Game 4. The Knicks, quite simply, don’t win the championship without him.

1. Signing Jalen Brunson to a four-year, $104 million contract (2022)

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) shoots the ball against the San Antonio Spurs in the first half during game five of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

There is no argument for any other transaction to be No. 1.

Everything changed with Brunson’s arrival. He was the savior the Knicks had been waiting for for years, even if nobody knew it yet.

In four years, Brunson has made three All-Star teams, three All-NBA teams, finished fifth in MVP voting (2023-24), won a championship, won eight playoff series, and already ranks 17th in Knicks history in points scored and third all-time in playoff points scored.

He is undeniably on the Knicks’ Mount Rushmore, and he ranks among the greatest free agent signings in NBA history.