Knicks Free Agency News & Trade Rumors ! Walker Kessler to NY ?

Knicks Free Agency News & Trade Rumors ! Walker Kessler to NY ?

what is going on Nix Nation welcome back to another Nix media live show it is hectic in Nix land we are still on the wait we are waiting for Leon Rose to get the Isaiah hardenstein replacement and today we have a special guest Mr Jake asmin himself Jake welcome to the show my man good to have you Richie always a pleasure to join you and any chance we get to talk Nicks as opposed to the usual jet combo we do is always awesome so thanks for having me absolutely I’m excited to get your thoughts here Jake because there’s so much Buzz so much energy surrounding this Nick’s team right when the offseason kicks off I want to get your thoughts about the bridges trade the OG coming back missing out in hardenstein and now we are waiting for the New York Knicks to replace an Isaiah hardenstein so folks welcome to the Nicks media show I hope you guys are having a fantastic Wednesday good morning to everybody in the chat we got Nicks fan 518 we got Outlaw We Got The Usual Suspects on dios is in the house Lawrence hope you guys are having a fantastic morning don’t forget to Simply hit the like button on your way in and check out Jake asan’s YouTube channel if you are a Jets fan he is absolutely killing it over there representing Gang Green the right way also does some other New York Sports over there as well so let’s get straight into business Jake I want to first get your thoughts of the reaction you had when the Knicks traded for Bridges because that kind of came out of nowhere right I feel like last week it was was uh a day or two before the NBA draft it was quiet free agency didn’t start yet you know there was an Alex Caruso trade to the Thunder that kind of started the NBA off season and then all of a sudden everything that Nicks fans have been waiting for was that missing piece of the Nova boys to get Bridges to the Knicks what was your overall reaction when the Knicks landed him yeah the the initial reaction Richie was shock and just sheer surprise not because I didn’t like the move I want to make very clear I believe the Knicks adding Mel Bridges was the best move they could have made this offseason period end of story but the initial reaction was surprised because I just did not think he’d actually be available for the Knicks to acquire I did not think the Knicks and the Nets would make this type of deal they have not made a deal those two franchises since the 80s so the fact that it actually occurred and it’s involving a big- time player a star level player going from Brooklyn to Manhattan I just didn’t see it happening I love that it did happen but my initial reaction was what really wow I can’t believe they were able to pull this off yeah it it came out of nowhere Jake and I feel like Nicks fans have been waiting for this where it kind of felt like a farone dream after we got Josh Hart last year at the trade deadline we’re like oh wow we got half the noble Championship boys imagine and then that summer we bring in Dante D venzo and we’re like whoa all we need is Bridges if only he was first of all drafted by the Knicks cuz they had an opportunity to draft him instead of Kevin Knox and then it kind of for me at least felt like a pipe dream like oh wouldn’t it be awesome in a fantasy world of bridges actually be on the Knicks with Brunson Hart and Dean chenzo well no that was Leon Rose’s plan the entire time he went out there and got his guy and then the best part about this move Jake is they did not trade for Bridges to replace OG on an Obi they wanted to pair him up with OG who is one of the best Wing defenders in the entire NBA and now you pair them up together that is what makes this Nicks team dangerous what’s your thoughts of the OG anobi extension giving him a huge huge contract the biggest contract in Nick’s history for OG at anobi look it is a lot of money but you had to do it because if you didn’t pay him there would have been other teams that would have given him the exact same deal now the Knicks gave him the extra year that’s the benefit of having his bird rights they could give him that extra year in the new CBA but they had to do it once you traded for OG and anobi and you knew that he was going to be a free agent you knew that you were going to have to pay him because that was the whole point of adding him he’s a core piece we saw what the record was when both he and Randall were healthy with Jaylen Brunson back in January they were 15- two we saw what happened once OG went down in the Indiana series after game two I believe if he was healthy forget all the other Litany of injuries that Nicks had if OG had stayed healthy against Indiana they win that series probably in five games so we know his impact anyone who’s watched him play knows the impact he has on both sides of the ball you’re gunning for the defending champ Boston Celtics you need guys who could defend Tatum defend Brown and to pair up OG with Bridges gives the Knicks arguably two of the best Wing defenders in the NBA so it’s a lot of money you pray he’s healthy come playoff time you know he’s not going to play every game that’s the reality of OG at an noi but at the end of the day it’s a risk the Knicks had to take the same risk the Celtics took with porzingis and his health concerns ultimately you have to take those risks when you’re going for it like the Knicks are so I get why they did it it’s a lot of money but it’s a move they needed to make exactly and I feel like in today’s NBA you need to have at least one Elite Wing to win in this league especially if you want to go after a championship let’s be honest with ourselves Jake the Knicks have not had an elite Wing in a long time and they traded for one in ogn and Obi at the right before the new league year of the 20124 year and then we get Bridges so now we don’t just have one Jake we have two wings and you can also argue those two players are not even the two best players on the Knick team because we have Jaylen Brunson as our lead of the head of the snake the floor General the superstar that he is and we have Julius Randle coming back who is going to be the Knick’s second leading scorer next to Jaylen Brunson and then not to mention the depth now that we have with Josh hard and Dean chenzo probably going to be coming off the bench so Nick’s fan should be very very excited about what Leon Rose has done but Nick’s fans are not satisfied Jake because unfortunately for us we were not able to bring back Isaiah hartenstein now my biggest thing about this offseason leading into this Jake was all I want the Knicks to do was run it back I felt like this niick team was good enough if healthy to go all the way to compete with the Celtics as you mentioned if OG did not get hurt in that playoff series I think we would have beat the Pacers easily and I felt like with the healthy team just last year we would have done good things so I’m like you know what just run it back but but Leon Rose is like no we’re not just going to run it back we’re going to place buam bogdanovich with Bridges but unfortunately for us Isaiah hardenstein gets the bag on the opena market he leaves to go to the Oklahoma City Thunder and now the New York Knicks are looking for a new replacement to back up Mitchell Robinson so what was your reaction when you saw hardenstein unfortunately leave the New York Knicks to sign with OKC my initial reaction was good for Isaiah hartenstein because there was just no way the Knicks could have kept him I mean the most they could offer him was 18 million per season he got $29 million per year and people could say oh have fun and KC you’re irrelevant the Thunder are really good they were the number one seed in the west they’re going to be contending for years to come so you can’t fault him if it was a different team if it was like the Pistons throwing the bag at him then maybe he would have taken a deal with the Knicks lesser than the full four-year commitment so then he could reset and hit the free agent Market again maybe next summer or something along those lines but once you saw the money and the team you can’t blame him if it was close I truly do think he would have wanted to have stayed with the Knicks but because of the CBA it’s not the Nick’s fault because of just the way the the the CBA is structured they only could offer him four years 72 million and once he got the opportunity to make $29 million aav you knew the Knicks were not going to be able to keep him so I wish him well and it’s a big loss for the Knicks but I won’t sit here and do Doom and Gloom you would make the Mel Bridges trade over Isaiah hartenstein 10 out of ten times and ultimately as good as Isaiah hartenstein was a year ago at this time he was an afterthought he was a nice role player we didn’t think anything of him he got his opportunity when Mitch went down last year took full advantage of it good for him now it’s on Tom Tibido and this Nicks coaching staff and Leon Rose in the front office to find some solutions at backup center I think they’ll be able to figure something out maybe not replace hartenstein but it is what it is and I think if you’re a Nick fan you got to have some faith in the in the front office and the coaching staff that they have a plan in place 110% and I just want to touch on what you just said to finish off your take there because let’s be honest with ourselves Jake it’s that’s not been the case for us Nicks fans to have trust in the Nicks brains upstairs in the front office and even the coaching staff which is why I’m not panicking either I loved Isaiah hardenstein I wish the Knicks brought him back but it’s not Doom M Gloom I feel like some Nicks fans are overreacting to this because who made Isa hardenstein Isa hardenstein now I’m not taking anything away from the work that he put in but Tom divido has proven to be one of the better coaches in the entire NBA and I got confidence in him in whatever player the Knicks bring in in free agency or maybe in the trade Market or maybe is Jericho Sims taking a step or maybe it’s the rookie Ariel hooky from Germany to step in Tom Fido has shown that he can put his players in the right situations to succeed and develop them and get the get the most out of their talent and that’s why I’m not panicking right now and you look at what Isaiah hardenstein was when he came to the Knicks let’s not forget after his first season or even the first half of the first season he was not playing good basketball and then last off season it was like all right he’s the backup behind Mitch and then when Mitch went down he stepped in and bald out so Kudos sah hardenstein he got paid what he deserved and he’s getting paid more than Jaylen Brunson the fact is the Knicks were never going to offer that they were not allowed to offer that so let’s move the page I want to get your thoughts of Mitchell Robinson because I think the consensus around Mitchell Robinson is very simple we all know when he’s healthy he’s dominant and he is one of the better offensive rebounders in the league he shut down Joel embiid in the playoffs but his issue is health and that is a big concern of course so what’s your thoughts of the Knicks big man right now with Mitchell Robinson Jericho Sims the new draft pick of horty and maybe the new player the New York Knicks will bring in whether that’s on the open market maybe bringing back precious atua or they’re linked to a lot of other trade candidates as well what are your thoughts to the center position heading into the season so far yeah I think they definitely need to add someone I know they like the idea of Jericho Sims maybe taking another step forward and you got to trust the Knick’s Player Development system you know but the N to watch you heard trade rumors of Walker Kessler coming over and maybe that’s a move they can make if if the Jazz make him available seven foot guy would be going into his third season has been pretty durable in his career so that’s maybe something you could look at if you’re the Knicks but once again I think it goes back to what we were saying earlier if you’re a Nick fan you have to put your faith in Leon Rose in this front office more times than not they made the right move I mean heck even signing Isaiah hartenstein was like an afterthought free agent signing two years ago and look at the value he provided you have to have faith that the Knicks will have a plan in place and also I I think when you look at how the Knicks might close out games there’s a scenario where they don’t actually have a center on the floor and the closing Five when you just look at the roster construction right now I know precious zoua is still out there I thought he gave the Knicks some good minutes down the stretch high energy guy Native New Yorker maybe he’d be willing to take a little less to stay here if you could find a way to get him back I don’t hate that plan but I don’t think the Knicks are going to go out there and you know be able to make this like big time Splash but there are options and I think you put your faith in Leon Rose and Company that they’ll do something to upgrade the backup center spot yeah and listen OG is not a center but he’s a guy that’s proven to be able to guard one through five so if the Knicks wanted to run a lineup out there with Brunson uh de or Josh Hart dant chenzo and Randall and ogi or you got Bridges Mi mixed in with Brunson OG and r i mean the opportunities are endless I think the Knicks are going to play a little more small this year and I’m not saying they’re going to start off the game with Randall at the five or anything like that but I think like you said the closing Five could could very well be uh Brunson Divan chenzo OG Bridges and Randall like there’s something along and there we still got Duce McBride we still have Josh Hart like this Knicks team is so deep where Tibido can get very creative across this entire roster now Duce McBride has been linked in some trade rumors like for a walker Kessler for example because Walker Kessler he’s a really good talent from Utah he had a very good rookie season for them last year he kind of did not uh take a leap like the Utah Jazz was expecting and if you wanted to trade for a Kesler you may have to include Deuce from a financial perspective plus draft capital I love dece big bride Jake I’m a big big deuce fan but now after the draft pick of you know um Tyler kic from Marquette now a lot of people are thing saying that du McBride is Expendable and kak could be maybe the backup behind Jaylen Brunson he’s more the floor General that can actually control things he had four years in college so maybe people feel like he’s ready to go what’s your thoughts of including deuce in a potential trade for Walker Kessler because me personally I’m not ready to trade Deuce I love him yeah I I think Duce still has a lot more upside and he’s already a really good Defender I think we saw his shooting come along he’s also on one of the best contracts in the NBA so I’m not in such a rush just a jettison Duce McBride I’m not saying he’s not Expendable for the right player he is I don’t know if Walker Kessler is the right player to include Duce McBride though in that type of deal I have to think about that a lot more before I throw deuce in there because I think we saw dece get a lot better once you got the opportunity to play I don’t think he’s even close to hitting his ceiling so I don’t want to get rid of him when I think he’s still an ascending player so what’s your thoughts about the moves around the NBA right starting off with the Philadelphia 76ers they definitely have improved their roster we beat them in round number one they added another weapon to Max up with uh team up with Joel embiid and Tyrese Maxi in Paul George they brought in Eric Gordon in free agency on a veteran minimum they brought back Kelly UB they bring in Andre Drummond how do you think this niick team uh can match up against the Philadelphia 76ers and do you think Paul George moves the needle for Philadelphia because let’s not forget the Sixers were the second seed in the East behind the Celtics before Joy embiid got hurt and then they went on a losing streak and then they got healthy again and then they matched up against the Knicks in the first round I remember some Knicks fans are like oh no we should lose on purpose so we can avoid the S uh avoid the Sixers in the first round but I never had that mindset I wanted to verse the best which the Knicks did and they beat them up so what’s your thoughts of the 76ers season moves and how the New York Knick stack up against them look the Sixers clearly got better by adding Paul George no one can dispute that that said it really feels like it’s going to come down to which NBA team in the East is the healthiest at the right time come playoff time because at the end of the day when you look at the Knicks and the Sixers I think they’re very close I think they’re two evenly matched teams right now embiid could maybe be the Difference Maker because he’s the best overall player in the series but he’s got to be healthy and he’s never been to a Conference Finals yet so he certainly has a lot to prove Paul George also is a guy that has missed a ton of time with injuries if you look at his game logs over the last several years so really I it’s cliche but the team that’s the healthiest might be the team that goes the furthest and from a Boston standpoint they’ve earned the right to still be declared the best team in the NBA certainly the best team in the conference but there’s a reason why Richie we have seen six different champions the last six years in basketball it’s hard to go back to back the way the NBA now is it is hard to be a dynasty so there’s going to be opportunities for several teams in the East to challenge Boston uh and I think the Knicks and Sixers are certainly right there and they’ve made their teams better there’s no doubt about that yeah that’s definitely the team to watch out for that I feel like definitely improved the most in terms of the what what team they’re stacking up in the Eastern Conference outside of the Boston Celtics folks we’re live here on Nicks media with Jake asmin don’t forget to hit the like button on your way into the show folks we got well over 250 people live Watchers with just 35 likes let’s smash a like button if you guys are enjoying it here live in the am here on Nix media and don’t forget to subscribe to Nix media if you’re new we hit 13,000 subscribers a few days ago we’re already on our way to 14K Subs so thank you all so much for the support great to have a good friend of mine Jake asmin on the show to talk some Nicks basketball so Jake what’s your prediction of this upcoming season like when you as a Knicks fan like when we landed Bridges and then we brought back OG I was like trying to contain myself because listen as Jets fans we have high expectations and now the now Nicks fans kind of feel a little more Justified we actually have playoffs to like look back on right we have back-to-back playoff appearances in the second round we know what Jaylen Brunson is in the playoffs Julius Randle has to improve in the postseason you see how deep this Knicks roster is as a Knicks fan what’s your expectations this year because in my opinion we have a window to win a title am I crazy to say that J no you’re not and you know you look at the betting odds that is the indication as well you look at where the Knicks have been kind of knocking on the door now adding Mel Bridges to it having a full season of OG some of the other improvements that you could potentially get from some of the younger players on the roster taking to step forward they obviously are a title Contender now what should your expectation be look I can’t sit here and say like the expectations Championship or bust when you haven’t been to the NBA finals since 1999 you haven’t been to a Conference Finals in 24 years but I think after what we have seen from this Nick scene the last few years I think the goal this year is to challenge Boston and get to at least an Eastern Conference Finals and take your best chance take your best shot at them if that’s the team you end up playing and and look at the end of the day they have a team that could do it there’s no guarantees they got to be healthy but this is the first time in a very long time probably the first time in our like conscious Awakening of being like a Nick fan because you know I I was around in 94 I was around in 99 but I don’t remember it I’m certainly too young so this is like the first time we can actually go into a season and truly think hey you the Knicks have a legitimate chance of getting to an NBA Finals yeah exactly last year there was a lot of hype and high expectations from the Knicks but it was more like all right let’s try to get out of the second round right because that’s kind of the steps we’re looking at we went to the second round a loss of the heat two years ago and then this past season we’re like okay let’s get into the Eastern Conference Finals maybe this close now we want to go all the way okay this Nick’s team is built and the best part about this team Jake is it’s not like this is onee window to win this niick team has a window of two to three years because the guys that they have under contractor here for the long run the only guy that is potentially out next year is Julius Randall who is uh under contract for two more years but he does have a player option after the season so he could opt out and we’ll see what the Knicks do in terms of their extending their own players whether they renegotiate Julius randle’s contract will will Jaylen Brunson sign his extension a lot of other news to find out we have Josh Hart on a really cheap contract based off the market Dante D venzo on a cheap contract you talked about Duce McBride you still got d uh Mitchell Robinson for the another two years so a lot of guys are locked up and then not to mention Bridges who is on a very cheap contract for his talent for the next two seasons so the Knicks have a window and that is something that I really am excited for I am curious to get your thoughts of Julius Randall because I do feel like Julius Randall is a polarizing figure amongst Nicks fans and I don’t know where you stand on this Jake but it drives me nuts every time I hear Nicks fans slander Julius randle’s name and talk talk to him like he’s a bum and he’s this guy that just we should just ship off and and even in the middle of the season when when he got hurt we like oh good randle’s hurt we’re a better team without him what I mean did you not see what the Knicks were doing when Randall was healthy and when we traded for OG I mean you talk you said it we’re 15- two went on a nine game winning streak Unstoppable I feel like Julius Randall is the one piece of this niick team that even some Nicks fans are forgetting about is what makes this Knicks team a contender even more because guess what folks he’s going to be the second leading score next to Brunson while we still have Bridges and an anobi and all the other guys around him so what’s your overall thoughts of Julius Rand and what you can expect from him coming off that unfortunate injury he suffered yeah I think the key word with Randle is like unfortunate because we started to see in January like Randall was at his best in the role theck finally had him in that probably suits him the best I don’t think randle’s a one but I think randle’s a really good player he’s been an all NBA player two of the last three years right this guy’s been an All-Star now twice with the New York Knicks he took on the challenge of coming here you know he’s been durable outside of you know this injury he suffered in January the guy’s a warrior he wants to play I I think at the end of the day we have to see what this team looks like with Randall back out there with OG with Bridges with Brunson now being clearly the guy you know Randall is under a lot of lot of scrutiny under a lot of pressure now to perform come playoff time next year and I I think he’s better equipped to handle it based on what he’s been through these last couple years but it’s interesting you know the Nick fan who is trashing Julius Randall is now using Randall as a reason behind why the New York Knicks are just as good as the Boston Celtics or better than the Philadelphia Sixers you know the same people who said randle’s got to go he stinks he’s this he’s that we now using randle’s injury as a reasoning behind why the Knicks didn’t get by Indiana why the Knicks are now just as good with Rand healthy against Boston so you can’t have it both ways uh Nicks fans I think at the end of the day Julius randle’s proven to be a damn good player he’s going to have to perform come playoff time but I think we should appreciate what he brings to the table because on this team I think he’s in the proper role with Brunson Bridges Dante on a given night could be your leading scorer as we saw in the playoffs like they they have a lot more answers to the test than they’ve had from the first go around with Randall as the only guy against the Hawks where he was clearly overmatched and not ready for that role yeah and let’s not forget Randall is what started this entire Nick’s movement I mean he came here when we missed out on KD and Kyrie and he had a terrible season the first year with fizdale we’d bring in Tibido and then he brings a team with alred pyton as the point guard to the playoffs by the way for the first time in seven years and then he had an offseason where we bring in kemell Walker you bring in Brunson and like I think Julius Randall is so good enough that now with the talent around him he is going to have his best season he was having his best season with the Knicks last year and I know the big big narrative around him which is true he has to step up when it comes playoff time which is why last year was so devastating cuz I felt like last year this past season was his opportunity to finally get the monkey off his back of stepping up in the playoffs because all the pressures off his shoulders with Brunson being the primary ball handler and now with all the weapons around him all he needs to do is just eat down low when he has one-on-one opportunities you take advantage of it when they double team you when you drive to the paint you dish it out like he proved before this is what I tell people Jake a 20 4 point 10 rebounds five assist power fo does not grow on trees it’s time to start appreciating who Julius Randall is rat Diddy with a $5 Super Chat the great rat Diddy I appreciate you tuning in to Nick’s media my man not sure on this Kessler kid seems bit soft small trade for Nick Richards resigned precious and we are right there with the Celtics interesting calling the Kesler soft now Kessler has played for the USA basketball with Josh Hart and Jaylen Bronson um I wouldn’t call soft I mean he is pretty good defensively and he has a lot of rebounding abilities he’s also just two years into his NBA career a lot of Nicks fans want Walker Kessler my only issue with that Jake is the price we’d have to pay to secure him which is why I’m not too sure but the one thing I do know is Leon rose has a plan so what’s your thoughts of rat D Super Chat uh maybe prioritizing bringing in Precious instead of the trade for one of Richard or Kesler yeah I I mentioned precious earlier I I think he’s a good fit for the Knicks I think he fits tibo’s system he plays hard he’s an effort guy he could come in and play the backup center role and you don’t feel like you’re screwed when he’s out there so if they can’t get Kesler if the price is too much for him or some of the other names that have been mentioned I’m on board with that and it wouldn’t surprise me if that’s the route they end up going as well I mean precious is a guy that’s from the New York area he spends his time in the offseason still I saw in New York he was at the Subway Series game last week so uh to me that’s not the worst idea if they can’t pull off you know a significant upgrade for Center because the cost out there is too much I agree folks the Knicks are in the heart of the offseason we’re waiting for the Isaiah hardide replacement news to break whether it’s today tomorrow who knows but expect the Knicks to bring in a player in free agency or make a trade for a center as of right now Mitchell Robinson is our guy with Jericho Sims and Ariel horty with the rest of the crew that’s going to wrap up this show here on Nick media Jake thank you so much for tuning in and coming on here to talk some Nicks ball right when the Nick hype is here I’m like you know what I got to get Jake on the show man because there’s so much exciting things to talk about we usually talk about the Jets as we always do but it was great to have you talking some Nicks Jake Richie appreciate you having me man always a pleasure always a pleasure indeed guys I’m Richie he’s Jake don’t forget to check out his YouTube channel Jake asmin I’ll see you guys later today peace and love as always hit the like button on your way out let’s go Nicks peace out folks

The New York Knicks are looking to add a Center either in Free Agency or the Trade Market. Who will it be ?

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