One might have thought the vibes were high and the situation was stable in New York after the Knicks put forth their best season in a quarter century, coming within just two games of the NBA Finals, but apparently that was not the case as head coach Tom Thibodeau was, somewhat surprisingly, fired on Tuesday afternoon.
So, there is clearly some instability within the organization, and maybe now is the time to start poking around. The Nuggets should be reaching out and seeing what other changes they are open to, and strike while the iron is hot.
This could be the opportunity that Denver needs to reshape their roster as the Knicks are obviously not fully satisfied with the way their season ended. Would they be open to moving a key player? Could a borderline star suddenly be available that we hadn’t previously accounted for? It’s certainly worth finding out.
Nuggets should call about Bridges, Towns, others
We already know that the Nuggets are going to have to get creative to improve the roster this offseason, and that should include calling some unlikely trade partners like the Knicks. They want to get over the mountaintop and win a championship, and simply firing their coach isn’t going to be enough.
There were some interesting questions that arose about Karl-Anthony Towns’ fit with the team and contract, and the same can be said for Mikal Bridges, who is up for an extension soon. Both players could suddenly, surprisingly, be available for the right deal.
If the Knicks are feeling uneasy about the roster, they may be open to a move that wouldn’t have been thought possible, even very recently. They need more shooting; would they open to taking on two years of Michael Porter Jr., with future draft capital? It’s at least worth finding out.
They could talk themselves into the size and shooting of MPJ, and it may seem preferable to extending Bridges or paying KAT for the next four years. It seems like a long shot, but so did firing Thibs a few days ago. Anything seems to be on the table for New York, and the Nuggets should find out what that entails.
Nuggets could steal a role player from Knicks
Beyond the stars, the Knicks may try to reconfigure their bench and build out depth, which could mean some of their role players may become casualties. They had a hard time mixing lineups and making things work with guys like Mitchell Robinson, Josh Hart, and others.
Neither of those players would provide the shooting that the Nuggets so desperately crave, but Robinson would be an elite backup center and someone who could probably even play alongside Nikola Jokic at times. Hart would be an excellent defender, rebounder, and connective piece as well, and a guy who could act as a sort of sixth starter.
Who knows if any of these deals are realistic, or if the Knicks will even make changes to the roster? If they do, they may not be interested in what the Nuggets have, but it’s at least a potential new option, and it’s definitely something worth pursuing for Denver. It can’t hurt to ask.