Brunson joins Knicks on four-year, $104M deal
As with the Dallas Mavericks, Jalen Brunson should create the bulk of his offense out of pick-and-roll situations. Despite playing with Luka Doncic, who ranked No. 1 in the league by getting 74.1 on-ball screens per 100 possessions according to Second Spectrum tracking, Brunson still managed to run nearly as many per possession (34.2) as Stephen Curry (34.5). With Luka on the bench, that skyrocketed to 53.2, sixth-highest in the league.
Dating back to his time with the Chicago Bulls, New York coach Tom Thibodeau has always favored pick-and-roll offenses for his point guards.
Derrick Rose won the MVP in his first season after Thibodeau arrived in Chicago, and Nate Robinson and D.J. Augustin later enjoyed career years filling in for Rose while he was injured.
With the Knicks, Thibodeau has been reunited with Rose, who has played at a high level when healthy the past two seasons. Beyond him, Thibodeau has had few reliable pick-and-roll playmakers. Elfrid Payton's non-shooting made him a limited threat as New York's starter in 2020-21, while Alec Burks was playing out of position during the 2021-22 season after replacing Kemba Walker at the point. There should be little doubt that Brunson is an upgrade on those options.
McGee joins a crowded Mavs frontcourt
Given Dallas had only the taxpayer midlevel exception to add to the roster in the wake of Jalen Brunson's expected departure to the New York Knicks, it was surprising to see the Mavericks prioritize adding a center (JaVale McGee) we last saw struggling to defend their five-out lineups in the conference semifinals.
Already, Dallas had starter Dwight Powell, who plays a similar game to McGee albeit without as much size and athleticism. Meanwhile, the Mavericks thrived in the playoffs with Maxi Kleber and even Davis Bertans as stretch 5s. Dallas' other big offseason move was to add combo big Christian Wood in a trade with the Houston Rockets.
Given Wood and Kleber can both play power forward in the regular season, the Mavericks probably can find enough minutes for all of these guys. It wouldn't be shocking if Powell, making $11 million in the final season, is eventually traded to cut Dallas' luxury-tax bill. The Mavericks are also naturally getting deeper on the perimeter with Tim Hardaway Jr.'s return from a broken left foot that ended his season in January. Still, it's hard to see how investing so heavily in players who will probably be best used at center during the playoffs makes sense.
As for McGee specifically, he earned a raise with a strong regular season for the Phoenix Suns, averaging 20.9 points and a career-high 15.2 rebounds per 36 minutes while shooting 63% from the field. McGee's rim running should fit well with Luka Doncic in the pick-and-roll game.
The concern with McGee specifically is a three-year deal with a player option on the final season -- McGee will turn 37 in January. McGee's size won't age but at some point he may no longer be capable of playing above the rim the way he has throughout his career.
Brunson joins Knicks on four-year, $104M deal
As with the Dallas Mavericks, Jalen Brunson should create the bulk of his offense out of pick-and-roll situations. Despite playing with Luka Doncic, who ranked No. 1 in the league by getting 74.1 on-ball screens per 100 possessions according to Second Spectrum tracking, Brunson still managed to run nearly as many per possession (34.2) as Stephen Curry (34.5). With Luka on the bench, that skyrocketed to 53.2, sixth-highest in the league.
Dating back to his time with the Chicago Bulls, New York coach Tom Thibodeau has always favored pick-and-roll offenses for his point guards.
Derrick Rose won the MVP in his first season after Thibodeau arrived in Chicago, and Nate Robinson and D.J. Augustin later enjoyed career years filling in for Rose while he was injured.
With the Knicks, Thibodeau has been reunited with Rose, who has played at a high level when healthy the past two seasons. Beyond him, Thibodeau has had few reliable pick-and-roll playmakers. Elfrid Payton's non-shooting made him a limited threat as New York's starter in 2020-21, while Alec Burks was playing out of position during the 2021-22 season after replacing Kemba Walker at the point. There should be little doubt that Brunson is an upgrade on those options.
McGee joins a crowded Mavs frontcourt
Given Dallas had only the taxpayer midlevel exception to add to the roster in the wake of Jalen Brunson's expected departure to the New York Knicks, it was surprising to see the Mavericks prioritize adding a center (JaVale McGee) we last saw struggling to defend their five-out lineups in the conference semifinals.
Already, Dallas had starter Dwight Powell, who plays a similar game to McGee albeit without as much size and athleticism. Meanwhile, the Mavericks thrived in the playoffs with Maxi Kleber and even Davis Bertans as stretch 5s. Dallas' other big offseason move was to add combo big Christian Wood in a trade with the Houston Rockets.
Given Wood and Kleber can both play power forward in the regular season, the Mavericks probably can find enough minutes for all of these guys. It wouldn't be shocking if Powell, making $11 million in the final season, is eventually traded to cut Dallas' luxury-tax bill. The Mavericks are also naturally getting deeper on the perimeter with Tim Hardaway Jr.'s return from a broken left foot that ended his season in January. Still, it's hard to see how investing so heavily in players who will probably be best used at center during the playoffs makes sense.
As for McGee specifically, he earned a raise with a strong regular season for the Phoenix Suns, averaging 20.9 points and a career-high 15.2 rebounds per 36 minutes while shooting 63% from the field. McGee's rim running should fit well with Luka Doncic in the pick-and-roll game.
The concern with McGee specifically is a three-year deal with a player option on the final season -- McGee will turn 37 in January. McGee's size won't age but at some point he may no longer be capable of playing above the rim the way he has throughout his career.