How does the rest of the NBA view the Knicks’ trade assets?

As is now an annual tradition, HoopsHype just released both their “Trade Value” last Monday. This year, on top of that, the media outlet and leading rumor aggregator founded by Jorge Sierra is debuting a brand new “Team Asset Ranking” taking things a step further.

Having already ranked the Top 100 players in the NBA, the staff over HoopsHype decided to make a combined ranking taking into account those ranks and the draft picks in each franchise’s coffers to come up with an average rank of where clubs as a whole sit among their peers.

As many as three New York Knicks were good enough to make the Top 100 list, including freshly-signed Jalen Brunson, 2021 Most Improved Player Julius Randle, and Noveau Riche RJ Barrett.

This is where the three of them ranked, and what HoopsHype had to say about their cases. Remember that these rankings come from “weighing factors such as a player’s talent, age, availability, positional scarcity, current salary, and what their next contract could look like.“

No. 47 - Jalen Brunson

Previous Ranking: No. 56

Brunson brings some much-needed stability to the Knicks’ point guard rotation. He has kept them solid on both ends and is one of their best scorers, often buying them buckets when they need them the most.

No. 83 - RJ Barrett

Previous Ranking: No. 65

The Knicks locked in Barrett to what could be a great value contract in a rising cap environment if he makes significant improvements. He has the tools to be one of the better scorers in the league if he can improve his overall efficiency.

No. 88 - Julius Randle

Previous Ranking: No. 75

Randle’s value cratered after signing his four-year, $106.4 million extension and immediately regressing back to the mean. It could continue to decline if he doesn’t regain his All-Star form while on an ascending contract.

When it comes to the “Team Asset Rankings” released on Tuesday, the New York Knicks ended up in a pretty average 14th place.

HoopsHype’s staff wrote in their introduction about the new rankings that they were built based on “top players and future draft picks, while also taking into consideration players 25 years or under and draft stashes to rank the net present trade value of teams.“ They also clarified that the ranking “isn’t necessarily asking ‘which team has the most to offer in a trade’ but rather ‘which team holds the most present value with the sum of its assets.’”

When it comes to your beloved Knickerbockers, this is how the folks over HH summed up their situation:

The Knicks don’t really have many players who stick out with high trade value. That could change if several of their young players make significant improvements and if they consolidate their draft picks for an All-Star. They have 11 first-round picks in the next seven drafts, including eight that are currently tradeable.

If you want the full breakdown of assets, you can find it at the end of this post.

Franchises that are on the verge of contention, such as the New Orleans Pelicans and the Memphis Grizzlies, are ranked 2nd and 3rd respectively in these rankings.

The Utah Jazz, after selling the house and getting out of Donovan Mitchell’s and Rudy Gobert’s deals, rank 4th overall. The ever-reigning Golden State Warriors sit in 9th and the Wemby-destined San Antonio Spurs rank 8th.

One thing is clear, though, and that’s the fact that New York might not actually have such a large “treasure trove” as some fans out there have been led to believe.

New York Knicks' full list of assets (via HoopsHype):

Players (Trade Value Rankings Top 100):

• Jalen Brunson (No. 47)
• RJ Barrett (No. 83)
• Julius Randle (No. 88)

Notable players 25 years or under:

• RJ Barrett (22)
• Quentin Grimes (22)
• Miles McBride (22)
• Immanuel Quickley (23)
• Cam Reddish (23)
• Obi Toppin (24)
• Mitchell Robinson (24)
• Isaiah Hartenstein (24)

Draft picks till 2029 (11 first-round picks, eight second-round picks):

• 2023 first-rounder
• 2023 first-rounder (DAL, top 10 protected)
• 2023 first-rounder (DET, top 18 protected through 2024, top 13 in 2025, top 11 in 2025, top 9 in 2027)
• 2023 first-rounder (WAS, top 14 protected in 2023, top 12 in 2024, top 10 in 2025, top 8 in 2026)
• 2024 first-rounder
• 2024 second-rounder (DET)
• 2024 second-rounder (favorable of UTA or CLE)
• 2025 first-rounder
• 2025 first-rounder (MIL, top 4 protected)
• 2025 second-rounder (BKN)
• 2025 second-rounder (DET, protected 31-55)
• 2026 first-rounder
• 2026 second-rounder (less favorable of own or MIN)
• 2027 first-rounder
• 2027 second-rounder
• 2028 first-rounder
• 2028 second-rounder
• 2029 first-rounder
• 2029 second-rounder

Draft rights:

• Rokas Jokubaitis (34th, 2021)
• Ante Tomic (44th, 2008)
• Ognjen Jaramaz (58th, 2017)
• Mathias Lessort (50th, 2017)
• Wang Zhelin (57th, 2016)
• Sergio Llull (34th, 2009)
• Brad Newley (54th, 2007)
• Tadija Dragicevic (retired)
• Axel Hervelle (retired)
• Emir Preldzic (retired)
• Nikola Radicevic (retired)