Who Are the Knicks’ Untouchable Players This Offseason, and Who Might Have To Go?

Who Are the Knicks’ Untouchable Players This Offseason, and Who Might Have To Go?

welcome in to locked on Nicks who are the Knicks Untouchables this off season that they can’t move no matter what we’re answering that and more in this off season mailbag you are locked on Nicks your daily New York Knicks podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every [Music] day all right welcome in to locked on Nicks today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel make every moment more right now new customers get $150 in bonus Bets with any winning $5 bet that’s $1 150 bucks with any winning $5 bet visit fanduel.com locked on to get started and I want to thank you guys for making locked on n’s first list today and every day whether you’re checking us out on your favorite podcast platform or taking in the sits of sounds on YouTube we appreciate you making us a part of your daily routine make sure you hit that notification Bell to never miss an episode on YouTube or the Auto download function on your favorite podcast app we’re still here for you guys more or less five days a week even during the offseason so we got you covered on Nick’s content we got a bunch of good stuff this week starting with this mailbag ending maybe with some draft coverage maybe some philosophical debates who knows there’s there’s a lot of stuff to get into uh I’m Alex holf I’m editor and chief at Nick site the Strickland which you can find the strict. land he’s got your favorite play byplay broadcas favorite play byplay broadcaster and Gavin we had some uh some great great mailbag questions come in although I’ll as always uh you know make sure to to promote the fact that you know if you are listening to this and you want to still ask a question you definitely can uh you can hit us up on Twitter you can either just reply to the Tweet we put out yesterday or you can just directly ask it to us at lockon nix uh we also put out a post on the YouTube Community tab I don’t think we got any questions off that uh going in today but if you want to put it in there or just put in YouTube comments we’ll happily answer question all offseason long it’s a long off seon so we could definitely get to every single one of them at some point or another but the first one that we’re going to get to is from Adrien chadam at Magic a683 on Twitter who wants to know with the upcoming signings and possible resigning happening which current Knicks would you consider Untouchable and which ones would you be willing to part with if it meant keeping our winning core intact and Gavin I thought this was a good first question because it sort of piggybacks on our luxury tax discussion that we had yesterday about the Knicks maybe having to make some tough decisions soon how do you feel about this one F first of all uh shout out to Adrian now and O has met him during a showing of of the Batman great movie great time just happened to be sit next to him cool dude um all right uh let’s let’s group this so I I think I think there are there are four categories here I I think you could put guys in in Untouchable um if you held a water gun to my head would be the next one and then um the other guys are guys I part with and then maybe the fourth one which I’m actually not sure if there’s anyone you know what’s so funny this would have been the whole team in the past now I’m not sure if there’s one guy who had fall into this fourth category the fourth category is probably like please take him um so let’s how about how about this I have the Nicks roster pulled up on ESPN what if we what if we just go through each guy in order and like and just run through it so I’ll just throw a name at you uh precious aoua where which of those those four if you want to just stick with the two uh categories would you put him in I’ve got precious in the if you make me category I would definitely prefer not to lose precious but based off what we were talking about yesterday with how close the Knicks are going to be to that second apron potentially I mean even resigning him for $10 million might kind of screw them a bit so yeah I’m kind of I’m kind of in that category but I don’t know where you fall there but I love what he brought to the floor this year I thought he was a great auxiliary player and ultimately someone worth keeping on the team just because he showed like when you needed him he could step up whether it was in the regular season or the playoffs so I I would definitely prefer to keep him if I could yeah I think I’m I’m somewhere he’s stuck in like a nebulous zone for me between if you make me imp partable just because I I thought his playoffs were really disappointing like he he had the one great game against the Pacers which was game four he was incredible that game I mean like super switchable the rim protection and he also sorry game game four he loves game fours for some reason game four against Philly too he was uh he was fantastic defensively that was a game where anobi was was guarding embiid but precious was flying around off ball and had four or five blocks a game four against the Pacers he was just like ridiculously switchable like NE nard who um well now the series is over but was in the midst of just torching the Boston Celtics um he was switching onto him blocking him um he was like dunking an offense he was like making like short shots he was getting offensive rebounds like he was sort of the version of the guy we saw in the regular season I think I ultimately fall into if you make me just because given um like if the Knicks are going to stick with the Mitchell Robinson Isaiah hardenstein combination at Center um it like he is an incredibly strong third string Center and I I think just right now like maybe Jericho Sims is a higher floor and that Jericho Sims will kind of consistently be like a four out of 10 five out of 10 which in a in a fourth third fourth string Center is great precious is high so would would be would be nice to keep him he’s a luxury I was disappointed in his playoff performance that being said I think consistently playing him at the five instead of the four would would obviously do wonders for him and that’s s of contingent on what the Knicks do going forward and if they are inclined to give up on Mitchell Robinson then maybe they go that direction all right uh next guy up we got a we got we got a big name next it is uh OG an anobi where do you fall on ogan and Obi Alex Untouchable period I mean you gave up two of your best young players for him and like yeah no he’s Untouchable they have to resign him that’s it yeah there’s no there’s no other answer to me yeah I I think you’re right at the end of the day I mean we saw the Knicks played at what like I I did the math earlier in the summer um it was like a 608 win Pace or so including playoff games with OG anobi um net rating when he was on the floor is pretty much Celtics esque like they played like not only like one of the best teams in the league they played like one of the best teams in recent memory with OG on the floor and obviously the bulk of those minutes ended up coming uh without Julius Rand or at least half those minutes ended up coming without Julius Randle so the potential of what this team could be I I still think nationally like I saw um if if you want to get red of Kevin OK Conor referred to the Knicks in his like column today as a as a playoff Pretender ignoring all the injuries and stuff like the Knicks were like a title Contender this year like that is more clear than ever with how shaky the Celtics have looked against competition with Denver going down in the second round like I I’m I’m not I’m not coming on here and saying like the Knicks were the favorite I don’t think that but I think they had a puncher chance and I think that is sort of the reality of the NBA now and I think an and Obi we could get into the specific reasons why in a future episode with everything he brings to the table defensively and as a shooter and we saw like ironically in the game he got hurt like his ceiling as an offensive player which like if he’s aggressive and like put into a corner where it’s like all right OG like we’re looking at you you’re sort of the one other guy on the floor here who’s making money outside of Jaylen like he can create shots he can be efficient um I I I think there’s still upside there the injuries are a major major major concern you might you you you you might be making um I’m forgetting the deal but like um or the phrase like a little bit of a deal with a devil with him where like you’re just hoping for the one year he’s not Hur in the playoffs and that does spook me a little bit but at the end of the day he’s too good he’s Untouchable all right uh next guy next guy here is uh boan uh that’s that’s we’re getting a lot of good ones up front on the ESPN roster what do you think about boan I’m saying partable um I mean my just the the short take is just it just comes down to money like I think ultimately he might just be used as a trade chip this offseason anyway uh with that 19 million dollar salary but if the Knicks are looking at things going into the off season and you know that his guaranteed date I think is two days before free agency starts for that 19 million and they can opt to just cut him for uh $2 million and just have that count count against their cap next year make him a free agent I think they’re just going to take an assessment and be like okay if we’re gonna have to pay too much into the luxury tax this year we don’t want to become like a second apron team overnight um you know keeping him is too much of a luxury we don’t have a trade lined up right away um you know so we’re not going to do it uh I I liked what he was bringing to the floor a lot especially towards the end of the year um so would be a tough decision to me I think to to go ahead and do that but yeah I think ultimately I I would be pretty surprised if he starts the season next year with the Knicks like I feel like they’re either gonna just make him a cap casualty uh at the end of the season or they’re going to like very swiftly look to trade him as part of a package for a bigger player early in the off season so they can get that done and then sign all the extensions and then probably enter the luxury tax right there yeah I I’m I’m somewhere in between I probably ultimately fall imp partable but I honestly part of me leans towards if you make me just because I’m still so intrigued by the idea of seeing him in OG anobi on the floor for big minutes I I think they played about a games a single gamees worth of minutes together and an anobi like like he lets you keep bogy on the floor and he lets more most importantly he lets tibs be comfortable having bogy on the floor and we saw once he got going in the second half of the year like he he’s a GameChanger offensively the Knicks simply don’t have another shooter that’s in the same category as him other than Dante like he’s he’s pretty unique on this roster and the fact that he can do that while playing the four is like is absurd and why he was fairly highly coveted when the Knicks went out and got him and he has like an off the dribble game and he’s like and he’s a pretty good passer like I I really really like the skill set and I just the Knicks just don’t have another guy like that and I think especially like when Robinson’s healthy like and and you’re playing 48 minutes of him in hardenstein at Center think you’re G have so much insulation defensively like you’re going to be able to afford to put that guy out there 20 points per game and he he is definitely a luxury piece but you know what luxury pieces do on great teams in the NBA they a difference between winning close games and having blowouts on a lot of nights of the regular season so it would be great to have that guy um I’m with you I don’t know how realistic it is to keep him and I think if they do keep him it is it is probably with the intention of moving off that contract before the trade deadline uh next up on this list Jaylen Brunson Alex we got to build some drama do we want to trade Jaylen Brunson this off season um maybe the answer is obvious to some maybe not so much sellers we’re gonna talk about it next on lock on Nicks but first we got to remind you this episode is brought to you by our good friends at FanDuel it’s winner take all time in the NBA and NHL and fanduel’s giving you a shot to bring home a big win of your own right now new customers get $150 in bonus Bets with any winning $5 bet that’s 150 bucks to bet on SP spreads money lines player props and more and uh you know there’s NBA wise not quite as much to look at at the moment considering uh we’ve got one series that just ended another one that’s on the cusp of possibly ending tonight both in sweeps I’m sure this is not what the NBA had envisioned for their Conference Finals but you know what Against All Odds I’m going to take Minnesota plus two anyway at a minus 14 I I think or even just money line plus 106 tonight I don’t know I I think with their backs against the wall they gotta win at least one there can’t be two sweeps in the Conference Finals that’s disgusting so just for the sake of basketball I hope that Minnesota wins this game and maybe you should too you could put your $ Five Doll bet on that uh or perhaps take a little more of a sure thing maybe do like Anthony Edwards to score 20 or more points that might be a little more of a sure thing anyway visit fanduel.com lockon and make every playoff count FanDuel America’s number one sports book all right we’re back in and uh Gavin you you floated right before the break like there was some suspense Jaylen Brunson is Untouchable let’s move to the next player I don’t think there’s any case you get I mean do you want to try to make a devil’s advocate case that you could trade him no you can’t you can’t trade him yeah exactly so uh I don’t have the ESPN roster in front of me but I’m just going to go to Julius Randall real quick uh we may as well just go from big name to big name that’s a little more intriguing I’m gonna I would put him if we could I don’t know there I know there’s very easy definable categories here I guess I would put them under if you make me but like the strongest possible if you make me I basically the only way that I’m moving Randall this off season is if is if the Knicks get the chance to add someone who’s like MVP caliber it would basically be like Gian or something like that like like if you can get a Giannis for Julius Randall you just you have to because that raises your ceiling so much like he just does everything that Randall does but better even if he comes with a little more of a health risk uh in recent years but you know he does he does everything better than what Randall does other than maybe the three-point shooting but he makes up for it by being like one of the most dominant post presences ever um so yeah I I think Randall if you make me but like the highest possible degree where it’s only if I’m getting like another high quality All-Star back yeah I think I’m I’m a little bit of a softer if you make Mew I am open to the idea of of moving off Julius Randall for a player who’s a better fit and like and who’s not a better player and the the example that I would go to right away is Mel Bridges and I I think maybe some uh particularly Plucky Nets fans would would make the argument and and male is is maybe like at times has been more consistent certainly has a better playoff track record than Julius is undeniably a a far far far better defensive player um but in terms of just like throwing the ball and getting buckets like Julius is in a different category there was a point um when Bridges was initially traded for the that’s like he looked like he was gonna go through a similar transformation like he does not have julius’s track record as a score I think that is going to be I mean something I brought up on this podcast as early as like March we did an episode with XJ on it but I think it’s a fascinating debate whether the N we better off with someone at that four spot who is a higher level shooter a higher level Defender and you and you give up some shot Creation in that exchange because we got we got a long Runway of that with Randall out and we saw it took Jaylen brunson’s game to another level and I wonder if you lose some of like that mvp level Brunson with Randle back and the Counterpoint would be like all right but that is just too much work for him and he’s going to break down if you ask him to do that consistently um I think it’s a fascinating argument it’s not one for today but because of that I I make Randall a um if you make me because I I I I do think there are trades on the table where I’m like it’s painful it sucks this guy’s been incredibly loyal he had a heartbreaking ending to his career in New York I really don’t want it to finish up this way but I will do it because I think it gives the Nick a better shot of winning a championship all right uh up next on my list uh I’m gonna I’m gonna I’m gonna say we we’re both going to put Charlie Brown Jr in partable um next uh next rotation guy is uh is Alec Burks did Alec Burks do enough to redeem the good alexalex name in the playoffs Alex um I think I would put him in partable just because it all just comes down to money but partable but with a strong inclination towards like if you want to sign for basically the minimum you’ve got a spot on the bench because I think that he proved enough in the playoffs that I’d feel good just having him be there with no expectation of playing time but an understanding that you know hey maybe you will get some you know if uh uh if it’s deemed necessary if we have an injury if you know whatever like you’re the 11th or whatever man you know and and you’ll get a chance but you know only if there’s some Calamity on the team and maybe that’s cool with him maybe it’s not I don’t know but if he’s willing to take like $3 million a year to do it for like two three years and it’s not like the final piece that pushes the Knicks into a tax bracket or something then yeah sure I’m I’m with it but otherwise I wouldn’t shed tears over it yeah I’m I’m I don’t really have that much to add um other than the fact that he was he was incredible in the playoffs and I I went from being like get this dude off my you you know what team to being like kind of cool to have him back he’s he’s sick I like I just like watching him play basketball there are very few guys who like I don’t know exactly what he’s hitting maybe it’s like that Hooper Hooper mentality but it’s very similar to Jamal Crawford which is smooth it’s aesthetic and I’m like I like I could just watch this guy hoop all day when he’s at his best not not the regular season version of got that guy makes me want to throw up a little all right another another tough one between the top two categories probably Dante dvan chenzo what what what are your thoughts on him um I border between Untouchable and if you make me I mean honestly I I think I might just not even just for the fact that like I think that Hart and diven chenzo are functionally Untouchable because of the bond with Brunson and the fact that it’s brunson’s team and everything else like I mean I do know like ultimately they got rid of Ryan Archer diako but that’s a different category like otherwise it seems like they’re very integral to what the Knicks are looking to do but they also proved themselves in the playoffs like Devon chenzo I think shook his rep as a guy who fades in the playoffs and rast the occasion a number of times he wasn’t perfect but he was good um Josh Hart certainly you know so maybe we could just do them both together real quick but like I I mean he he certainly proved something in the playoffs too I think I lean towards Untouchable for both for Dante especially because it’s like his contract is too good like if you’re including him in a trade I mean he was one of the best three-point Shooters in the entire NBA last year for like $10 million I it’s like such a crazy crazy bargain at this point that I don’t think you can move him I I think you got to hold on to him at this point yeah it’s especially like it’s especially impressive the amount of Threes he made how high he finished in the season standings when you consider like the first quarter of the season he was playing like 10 minutes a game um which is why he was not eligible for most improved player apparently but like yeah I don’t know I I would I would give it to him I I like or I would I would give him the Untouchable tag um just based off that and Hart I think I also lean Untouchable just because even though he’s a little more fairly paid to what his uh production is I think he’s just I mean pun intended the heart and soul of the team I I think you got got to keep him at this point I mean just for brunson’s sake and for the team sake he did so well this year yeah I think it’s tough right because like when you when you push Untouchable to the fullest definition of the word which is like all right would you would you turn down right now and and maybe I think there are a lot of Nicks fans who would and maybe have Fair arguments to like jayen Brunson for Luca or or Jaylen Brunson for wanyama like like that’s where like you you start sweating a little bit right and that and I am I am obviously not pushed that far with Dante or or Josh harwoods like or like to like you threw Giannis out there ear like if one of them was the difference between getting Giannis and not getting Giannis but I almost feel like that is like that is perverting Untouchable a little bit um and I I think I am gonna put them in that category as well because I think the way we are going about it is like more so an extreme version of like if you make me like I’m looking at Untouchable and like any deal that could be considered relatively equal you’re probably not moving off them and I think I think at the end of the day I’d probably separate them I’d probably put Hart closer to the UN Untouchable Untouchable and Dante to the highest end of If you make me and that’s almost not a reflection of them in play in players but that heart to your point like just feels so essential to this team’s identity and Dante if you were trading for a shooter of a similar caliber like could theoretically be replaced and like there are for like even like let’s just say you were trading Dante for brid Bridges somehow like it was Dante plus a bunch of picks for Mill Bridges like I think while Bridges is obviously not quite the shooter Dante is he brings some of that while also just being a much better Defender and having much more ability as a Creator so that’s the kind of trade I could see myself like being talked into I I just think Hearts motor is too um important so if I’m if I’m if I’m really separating by the finest of threads that’s where I’d go but I’m I’m fine with them being Untouchable all right um someone who’s like a little bit close to home because this is this is coming up right now Isaiah hardenstein what do you what do you think about him uh I will let everybody know my thoughts on that in just a moment when we get back in we’ll talk hartenstein Mitchell Robinson and More in our next segment all right we’re back in and Gavin I you POS the question Isaiah hartenstein uh Untouchable or only if you make me or partable I I I’m kind of going Untouchable at this point um I just think the Knicks should be prioritizing keeping him as the center I mean the only way that I would consider him not Untouchable is if you have the opportunity to get a better option at Center uh you know that’s going to be more of like a star Center and there’s only one of those that could potentially be available and he is never allowed to play for my basketball team uh and that’s Joel embiid and I don’t even think that they’re going to try to move him I think that the Sixers are going to try to heavily reload around him this offseason now from all indications they’re hiring a new coach or they’re not hiring a new coach they’re they’re keeping their same coach but like bring in a ton of new players have like a ton of new uh cap space that they’re going to be looking to use on someone maybe even try to pry ogan and Obi from the Knicks like there’s a lot going on there um so I don’t think that Joel embiid is going to be one of the guys available um and other than that I I there’s like what are you gonna just hold out for like joic or something like I think you just resigned Isaiah hardenstein he fits so well with this team he passes well he defends the way you want he rebounds the way you want I think I think he’s Untouchable just in the sense of I mean I would do everything to try to resign him there there might be something out of the Knicks control in this case which is some team coming and offering more money and hartenstein prioritizing that um because the Knicks are capped at how much they could offer him but if if you have the opportunity I think you resign him and you keep him for the Long Haul yeah I’m I’m I’m 100% with you I I I think he just made himself invaluable in a way like we could we could do Mitch as the other end of this question because I I think he like I I would have been stunned to hear myself say this at the beginning of the Season where I was calling Mitch the Knick’s best player maybe but he just like Mitch has a higher ceiling in two areas right as a as a rim protector and as a rebounder and Isaiah’s never going to be that though he’s one of the elite Rim protectors in basketball even if he’s not quite on Mitch’s or or maybe I shouldn’t even say R protection maybe I should just say as an overall Defender because Mitch is stronger he’s a little bit longer and like he still gives you a tiny bit more verticality at The Rim but hardenstein like is an elite rim protector he is a solid enough switch Defender and he had he had really good moments in the playoffs as a switch Defender when the Knicks were were forced into that he doesn’t have that one-on-one capability to guard someone like jool embid that MIT Robinson does he’s not the generational re offensive rebounder that Mitchell Robinson is but he is a top 10 offensive rebounder in basketball and then he brings you everything else right like automatic on that little flip shot a little bit more spacing offensively like one of the best passing bigs in the NBA who would like get recognized maybe even as like a borderline generational passing big if not for someone like Nicole yic who just blows everyone else out of the water um the Knicks were just so so good when he played I I think in due time maybe like the the initial press conferences next year I think we’re going to find out that like that Achilles was still bothering him as the playoffs went on I do think it’s important that the Knicks have another Center to just stop him from playing too many minutes we did see some wear and tear once Mitch went down but he’s he’s incredible um I would I’d love to have him back Mitch on the other hand is a is a if you make me I I think at the end of the day Alex just because he is exceptionally injury-prone or maybe maybe that’s unfair and overstating it because he was he was healthier the year before but he is he is quite injury Throne at this point in his career and there are just very real weaknesses in in in his game and when he’s on the floor you have to deal with the lack of spacing you have to deal with the fact that teams are going to foul him in important moments and though he actually mostly made his free throws in important moments like there just are tradeoffs there to Mitchell Robinson and there are trade-offs to every player but they are they’re just much smaller and much less noticeable with Isaiah hardenstein than they are with Mitch yeah I’m with you there I I don’t have much to add to that I think you know I think it just comes down to can afford to spend $30 million on your Center position in today’s NBA and you know I I do think that having one is the contingency for the other is a great thing you know you just mentioned like if hartenstein gets hurt like you want to have a good backup well you could have the best backup in Mitchell Robinson and then you know if Mitch is hurt then you know that hardenstein can step in and then hopefully you have someone that can float around like Precious that can pick up the slack if you know if one of those guys is hurt and you know play the the remaining few minutes but yeah ultimately he makes like $13 million roughly for the next two years and I hate that everything’s coming down to Dollars and cents now but unfortunately like as we went over in yesterday’s episode which like if you haven’t watched you know definitely go back and watch but um you know the dollars and cents are going to have more of an effect on the team building now unfortunately because the NBA is making it really punitive to have a very expensive roster now and that’s going to mean that some of these guys you don’t necessarily want to see go are going to have to go at some point uh just to avoid hitting all those tax lines and all that stuff um before we get into our last like major rotation player I think we can safely say uh dayquon Jeff Jacob Jacob toppin Shake Milton mamad diakite Dwayne Washington Etc um and and even Jericho Sims I think unfortunately are all I would say partable uh maybe bring them back they certainly weren’t on the end of the bench but I don’t think anyone’s shedding any tears if if none of those guys come back because maybe some people have some strong opinions about Sims but he was fine I I think the Nicks hopefully can use one of their draft picks this year to get someone slightly better than Sims for that that third fourth Center Spot uh so the last big name is DUS bride uh before we get on to our last couple questions and Deuce I’m putting similar to Randall at the or well you had you had Randall and if you make me or we both had Randall and if you make me but I had him at the highest you had him in sort of the middle I I again I’m putting deuce in the if you make me category but at the highest possible point because his contractors just such a good value at this point it’s like they just sign him to a second rookie deal and I know that he still has his limitations he’s still more or less like a a two guard trapped in a in a one’s body um but he he plays defense so well he proved at certain times in the playoffs that the shot can fall in the playoffs and he could be a playoff contributor which was honestly a struggle for some of the other young guys that were on the Knicks like for as much as we loved quickly and Grimes and RJ all of them had their struggles in the playoffs at various times Deuce is finally the one that like showed up and was like just played a role and made some shots and hit and played defense and influenced games in a big way um so I I think that I’m on the highest possible version of if you make me and that’s if like you’re looking to trade for like you know Donovan Mitchell I guess and it’s like hey we’ll do this for like boan bogdanovich and like Mitchell Robinson but like you need to throw in at least one young player so you’re gonna have to give a stpi prde and then hopefully you can bring over Rus jobus to make up for the fact that you’re trading him and all that stuff but yeah I think that’s the only scenario where I’m looking to move Duce at this point otherwise I want him on this team period like he he influ things in such a positive way and he’s on such a valuable contract yeah I the contract is is extraordinary and I think everything I’m I’m about to say needs to be under the context that he is grossly underpaid and you should probably fire his agent um but uh I was actually I was I was higher I’m currently higher than I ever thought I’d be on his offense let me let me start off with that like the the shot making the Poise and big moments against the Sixers like that is just like if if you look at an NBA careers like in in in levels like in like level one to level 10 and level 10 is like just in terms of responsibilities like like is like Luca donich like you’re being asked to do literally every single thing for your team um I thought Duce was going to play like a level two role on this team and he ended up in the playoffs playing like a level seven role essentially level eight role where it’s like make big shots and big moments off the ball like guard the second best player on the other team like that is an extraord AR amount of responsibility for a guy making $4 million a year and for the most part he was he was awesome in doing it so that is value to the nth degree and that I’m I’m with you that is like the highest level of if you make me I’m also gonna say maybe there something who can dive deeper in like in a player grade thing I was a tiny bit disappointed in his defense in in in the playoffs not so much in the regular season and that he was really good but I think I I always saw him as someone like this is an all defensive player who’s just maybe going to be a good enough offensive player to justify the amount of minutes and and despite your point that he is a two guard in a ones body like he’s becoming good enough offensive player to justify pretty big minutes on a good team if he was like that like top 20 defender in the league and I think he’s really good not great on defense so that that is my only my only qualm with him if you want to call it that it’s not really it’s sort of more of a picking nit and and maybe like I think if he was legitimately that type of defender on his contract you would have to put him in like the lower tier Josh hard Dante Devan chenzo level of Untouchable but I I think that is the only thing stopping me from getting there yeah I think that’s totally fair um I have I have him right on the cusp of that so I think we’re we’re kind of in agreement like you do whatever you can to keep him but if you have to if you have to move him it’s heartbreaking all right and we got two final questions to end on here first one comes from our buddy yuram Lage at Lage what are the chances we have five Nova guys at the start of the season seon Gavin we were talking about this before the show the obvious fourth one here is M Bridges Frasier oh yeah Mel B yeah so who’s who’s number five I was a big Scotty Reynolds guy back in the day so we could we could say him um I is it what are the chance five I think I think he’s asking I think he’s asking if they bring Archer diako back at the end I guess so yeah that’s the most logical or like would be Lowry maybe yeah I mean they need they do they do need a backup point guard and it would be nice like Kyle like just watching Kyle L on that 60s team it’s one of those things where you hate him and you’re like man it’d be kind of nice to have that guy on our team like if he’s if he’s the same guy was last year like like that is a solid 12 15 minute a game hang out with the boys backup point guard so I’m I’m honestly pretty good with either version of that yeah what if you were setting the chances at uh like a percentage chance or an out of 10 let’s just say an out of 10 what would you say chances it’s five Nova guys on the team next year uh I’m gonna say well I guess I don’t know assuming Archer diako is a free agent I probably should have looked he is yeah yeah I’ll put it at 60% I don’t see it seems like he would want to be in New York and the Knicks were kind of forced to part with him and unless there’s like a guy at the end of the roster that like like is is a two-way and like they’re really high on like I don’t know I’ll call it 60 % what about you I’m going to go 40% just because I’m not totally sure about the about the bridges aspect of it to be honest I forgot about bridges I forgot about bridges I’m gonna call it 25 I’m 15% okay there we go I forgot about I just assumed Bridges was on the team I’m like yeah they just need one more yeah no yeah that’s why I’m like I I’ll put it 40% I guess I don’t know I’ll buy the hype that they’re gonna look to try to get him just because it makes too much sense from a cap perspective and a fit perspective and everything else but you know if if they get him I think it’s almost it’s almost 100% I feel like they’ll bring Arch deakino back because he was they really liked him like I think they actually were really sad to part with him not just for the Friendship aspect but like he was calling stuff out like he was like famously yelling out 5sec violations and stuff like that like you like guys that do crap like that on your bench so I I think they’ll look to bring him back um then our our final question here comes from Victor Miguel at Victor Miguel B on Twitter who wants to know what is our next ceiling if no moves are made this offseason um I don’t I don’t think that I mean maybe this is something that we can explore I think this is something we’ll explore as a full episode at some point but uh my quick take on this is just they could be a Darkhorse finals team I think that’s it I mean I just think they played well enough when they were fully healthy with Randall and anobi in January they were 14 and two in the month of January and was one of the best months in like team history um it’s no coincidence it was a very well balanced good team and they were playing good teams and not not just squeaking out wins against good teams they were destroying good teams like they were they annihilated the Nuggets they annihilated the Sixers I me they they were doing some really good stuff during that month like I I think that I think you can make case they could potentially be in finals winning team if they make no moves to things break the right way but I wouldn’t fault them for trying to make a final move to get even better and make that more of a you know more of a possibility but you know yeah I think this year proved I mean they did it with no Julius Randall no uh Mitchell Robinson for a good part of it no boan bogdanovich for a good part of it uh no ojan noi for a good part of it and they still went to seven in the conference semifinals so you know as a fully healthy team I I think sky’s the limit yeah I’m with you I I I think it’s a championship I’ve said this St before but in January they had the highest net rating of of any team in basketball is had in any month this year the Celtics had two different months that tied it was like plus 15.6 per 100 possessions but that that says what it says the Nicks played as good of a month of basketball as any team in the NBA did this year like period and that to me screams Championship Contender are there extenuating circumstances like like do we have any a shred of evidence that Julius Randall translates to the playoffs in a meaningful way like we we we just don’t yet and that that is the issue here that is the downside the upside is like we know pretty much everyone else on this team and pretty much everything else that made this team good does translate in a real way to the play and sometimes like with guys like du McBride like better than you could have ever hoped or expected so I I think it is a Darkhorse ceiling but I think it is a championship ceiling um on that happy note sometimes I say that sarcastically this time I really mean it we’ll wrap up this episode of lockdown Nick he’s Alex I’m Gavin next time you talk to us uh Alex is going to be talking some draft we are really excited to get into our draft coverage we hope you are too I’m so we’ll see you soon on lockdown Knicks [Music] [Music]

Alex and Gavin break down some of your offseason mailbag questions, including mainly: Who are the Knicks’ untouchable players this offseason, and which players would they be ok moving to further the team? Also, could there be five Villanova guys on the team next year? And what’s this team’s ceiling if they just stand pat in the offseason?

Want to talk hoops with us? Join us on Subtext!
📲 https://joinsubtext.com/lockedonknicks

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOKnicks?sid=YouTube

Locked On NBA League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft, WNBA & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNBA

Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!
eBay Motors
From brakes to exhaust kits and beyond, eBay Motors has over 122 million parts to keep your ride-or-die alive. With all the parts you need at the prices you want, it’s easy to bring home that big win. Keep your ride-or-die alive at EbayMotors.com. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers.

PrizePicks
Go to PrizePicks.com/lockedonnba and use code lockedonnba for a first deposit match up to $100!

Gametime
Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply.

FanDuel
FanDuel, America’s Number One Sportsbook. Right now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS with any winning GUARANTEED That’s A HUNDRED AND FIFTY BUCKS – with any winning FIVE DOLLAR BET! Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started.

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

#Knicks #NewYorkKnicks #NBA