Knicks News and Rumor Roundup

Rokas headed back overseas? Kolek the primary backup PG?

With the 2024 Las Vegas Summer League officially wrapping up last night, we must accept the sad realization that we won't watch another NBA game until the preseason tips off in three months. 

While there will be the Olympics to hold us over, the first contest on the 2024-25 preseason schedule is Boston vs. Denver in Abu Dhabi, which will take place on October 2nd. That's 71 days away. Ugh. 

However, before the Knicks open training camp in September, they must address their lack of depth at center. With that in mind…  

🏀 Ian Begley of SNY reported late last week that the Knicks have "checked in on" Hawks big man Clint Capela. "I don't know how far talks went," Begley said. "I don't know if they're active at this very moment. But they did check in on Capela."

This isn't surprising, considering Atlanta is looking to shake up their roster. ESPN's Zach Lowe reported earlier in the week, "Capela is in the final year of his contract and on the trade market." According to Marc Stein, "The Hawks have been trying to trade Clint Capela for more than a year, but league sources say that the Atlanta big man drawing the most external interest is newly acquired Larry Nance Jr." 

The issue for New York is that Capela will earn $22.3 million next season. To acquire Capela, the Knicks would likely have to include Julius Randle, who will make $28.9 million in 2024-25, for salary-matching purposes, which doesn't make sense from a Knicks perspective. As a reminder, Mitchell Robinson is set to earn $14.3 million next year.

🏀 One potential trade candidate the Knicks were rumored to have interest in early this summer was Utah's Walker Kessler. Thus, it's worth noting that, as part of a buyout agreement with the Jazz, Russell Westbrook gave up $1.7 million. The move increased Utah's cap space to roughly $33 million, which is far more than any team in the NBA, giving them considerable flexibility. 

In addition, big man Kyle Filipowski was dominant in his Summer League finale, a 97-87 win over Detroit on Sunday. The second-round pick out of Duke racked up 26 points (8-of-22 FGs, 7-of-7 FTs), 11 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and three 3-pointers in 34 minutes.