Coming off their best season in a decade, the Knicks offseason was already intriguing.
It was already fascinating.
It was already extremely interesting to see how team president Leon Rose would look to upgrade his young roster.
Now this.
James Harden has opted into the final year of his contract with the 76ers with an agreement that Philadelphia would move him, and ESPN reported Thursday the Knicks are expected to be one of the interested parties.
The Clippers, it should be noted, sound like the favorite coming off a disappointing first-round playoff exit, and the Heat may get involved as well.
The stunning news came moments before Josh Hart opted into his $12.9 million player option that gives the Knicks more flexibility this offseason to potentially add a rotation player, such as Hart and Jalen Brunson’s former Villanova teammate Donte DiVincenzo, with the $12.4 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception they now have at their disposal.
Aside from that exception, the over-the-salary-cap Knicks will have to get creative, going the trade route for upgrades.
Harden is owed $35.6 million next year, and because he signed a two-year deal with the 76ers last year, he is not extension-eligible. Philadelphia is believed to want major pieces in return to surround superstar center Joel Embiid.
It is not looking to break down its roster, which has won at least 49 games in five of the previous six seasons.
The Knicks being interested in the 10-time All-Star comes as a major surprise.
At the age of 33, Harden has shown slippage as a player and is a shaky defender and high-volume scorer. He doesn’t resemble a Tom Thibodeau kind of player.
Yahoo Sports reported that the Clippers and 76ers have been in contact this week about potential trades. SNY, meanwhile, reported there is “far from uniform” interest within the Knicks’ hierarchy in Harden, who has demanded a trade from three different teams in the last 2 ¹/₂ years.
Harden, of course, played for the Nets on a star-studded team with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, but that didn’t work out nearly as well as envisioned and was traded to Philadelphia.
The 76ers failed to reach the conference finals in two seasons with Harden, and now he is looking elsewhere to continue his star-crossed career.
Some have speculated that the Knicks could get involved in a three-way deal with the 76ers and Clippers. Prior to the recent draft, the Clippers reportedly spoke with teams about All-Star wing Paul George.
That included the Knicks, though it is uncertain if Los Angeles plans on moving the 33-year-old George or is more intent on adding Harden to join George and Kawhi Leonard.
Despite his age and recent injury issues — he has appeared in an average of 47.2 games over the last four seasons — George would seem to fit the Knicks far better because of his defensive prowess and size as a shot-creating wing.
He is due $45.6 million next season and has a player option for $48.7 million for the following year.
The Knicks could also look to add Raptors wing OG Anunoby via trade. Toronto recently drafted Kansas’ Gradey Dick, who plays his position, and Anunoby is entering the final year of his contract.
If the Knicks do sign DiVincenzo, it would create a glut of undersized wings/guards that could necessitate moving one of them. Forward Karl-Anthony Towns of the Timberwolves and guard Zach LaVine of the Bulls have also been rumored targets of the Knicks.
One attractive chip could be the expiring $18.9 million contract of Evan Fournier as teams look to shed salary and avoid the luxury tax under the new collective bargaining agreement.
Rose has stockpiled draft picks and has maintained patience, developing young players such as RJ Barrett, Quentin Grimes, Immanuel Quickley and Mitchell Robinson to go along with more established, in-their-prime veterans like Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle.
The Knicks have plenty of assets to be busy this offseason if they choose to be.
Then again, the mantra of the Leon Rose-led front office has been not to rush into anything.
That methodical approach took them to the second round of the playoffs this spring for the first time since 2013. Now we’ll see where the Knicks go from there — with an added wrinkle to an already intriguing offseason.