New York City’s collective hangover from the Knicks winning the franchise’s first title since 1973 — 53 long, arduous years — has subsided.
Yes, June 13 was an unforgettable night for the Knicks’ organization and its ardent supporters, as NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson had a performance that will live for the ages, scoring 45 points in a 94-90 series-clinching Game 5 win over the San Antonio Spurs, transporting the team to a realm of basketball immortality.
But the painful memories of the many years of losing and dysfunction are still acutely embedded in fans’ amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for emotional processing, particularly fear and anxiety. Winning elicits a desire and expectation to sustain success. And the Knicks will not be immune to criticism, demands for changes, and outright anger in the years ahead if they regress to being a team with limited championship prospects. Such is the nature of sports.
So this off-season is one in which Knicks’ leadership — owner James Dolan, president Leon Rose and executive vice president William “World Wide Wes” Wesley — are planning for the present and near future, and are ruminating how the Knicks can remain on top (or near the top) of the league’s hierarchy. There hasn’t been a repeat league champion since the Golden State Warriors won in 2017 and 2018.
An AI model determined that the Knicks have just a 12% probability to win it all next season. Indeed, they are now the hunted. Formidable challengers, notably the Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder have strengthened their respective rosters. The Miami Heat added Giannis Antetokounmpo. The ascending Toronto Raptors have reunited with Kawhi Leonard.
The Philadelphia 76ers essentially stole Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics for Paul George and draft picks and now are legit championship contenders on paper. Tyrese Haliburton will be back with the 2025 Eastern Conference champion Indiana Pacers after sitting out all of this past season recovering from a torn right Achilles suffered in Game 7 of the NBA Finals 13 months ago.
And then there’s LeBron James. After moving on from the Los Angeles Lakers, the 41-year-old James has yet to publicly announce where he will take his still ample talents and perhaps tip the league’s balance of power.
The Knicks will enter next season without Mitchell Robinson, one of their most important players in their title run. The best offensive rebounder in the sport, the 28-year-old Robinson, who the Knicks drafted in 2018 in the second round, signed a three-year, $47.4 million free-agent contract with the Boston Celtics, instantly becoming a rival. They theoretically replaced him with 32-year-old veteran center Andre Drummond, who was with the 76ers last season and signed a one-year, $3.8 million deal with the Knicks.
As the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas begins today, the Knicks open tomorrow (6:00 p.m.) against the Brooklyn Nets. The development of forward Mohamed Diawara will be key. As a rookie this past season, Diawara, a second-round pick by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2025 draft and then traded to the Knicks, showed promise on both ends of the court.
The 6-9, 21-year-old forward from France could grow into a regular in head coach Mike Brown’s rotation next season. The Knicks signing him to a low risk four-year, $11.2 million contract signals a belief in Diawara having the potential to be a key contributor next season.
