The Knicks gave up a haul to get Mikal Bridges. But the move, commonly being framed as an all-in maneuver, was potentially only a first step. Due to extremely prudent planning over the past few years, New York still has a good chunk of their war chest left over that they can use to get even better.
The final details of the trade still are not set in stone. The big pieces are known. But this deal still has a lot of directions that it could still go.
MORE: Mikal Bridges trade grades: Nets get a massive haul, 'Nova Knicks' get ammo
How the Mikal Bridges trade affects the pursuit of O.G. Anunoby, Isaiah Hartenstein
The Knicks are probably going to be hard-capped after the Bridges trade, meaning that they won't be able to spend a single dollar above the $179 million first apron.
That is going to make it tricky to re-sign Anunoby, but they should still have enough room to do it. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Knicks were "determined" to do so, but it might come at the cost of losing Isaiah Hartenstein.
Right now, the Knicks will have around $42.5 million to offer Anunoby in his first year, per Spotrac's Keith Smith. That's a hair below his maximum possible salary, which the team could easily get to by trading away some smaller deals. Losing Anunoby should not be a real concern for Knicks fans.
MORE: Full details and explainer on O.G. Anunoby's free agency situation
Hartenstein is a way dicier proposition. The Knicks were already limited to offering the big man only $16.2 million in his first year. That's below his market value.
If the Knicks are hard-capped, they won't be able to bring back Anunoby and give Hartenstein anything close to that salary. He's probably on his way out — I predicted that he'd get around $65 million over three years from a team like the Thunder.
There is one way that the Knicks could keep both Anunoby and Hartenstein. They would have to add some pieces to the Bridges trade, shipping out more than his $23.3 million salary. They could not include minimum salaries such as DaQuan Jeffries or Mamadi Diakite to get to that number. They could rope in a third team with cap space, such as the Pistons, and offload Julius Randle.
The Knicks need to ask themselves if they need Randle to win. They had success without him in the playoffs, and they have more shot creation on the team now with the addition of Bridges. It might come down to a decision between Hartenstein and Randle.
MORE: Breaking down Knicks salary cap space after Mikal Bridges deal
Future Knicks trades
The framing of the Knicks as going all-in with their draft picks is not totally accurate. They did spend a good chunk of them, but they still have some left behind.
The Knicks will still have their own No. 25 pick in the 2024 draft, Dallas' No. 24 pick in 2024, and two protected first-round picks in 2025 from the Pistons and Wizards they can move after the draft. Additionally, they have the No. 38 pick in this draft and eight future second-rounders.
That is a lot of draft equity remaining in the tank. The Knicks can still use those pieces to acquire starter-level players. If they do end up losing Hartenstein and fellow free agent Precious Achiuwa, they will need to find someone to back up big man Mitchell Robinson, who is always an injury risk. Those picks could be the avenue towards acquiring the next Hartenstein.
Knicks fans should be very excited about their future. The Bridges trade was a big first step, but this team can still get even better down the line.
