The New York Knicks’ quest to replace Isaiah Hartenstein is hampered by the fact that one of their trade prospects has doubled in price.
As to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Utah Jazz are now requesting two first-round picks in exchange for their talented center Walker Kessler, instead of just one first-round pick.
“Every information coming out of Utah has indicated that Walker Kessler is going to pay a hefty price. They’ve been requesting a few first-round selections, Buha stated on August 9 on his podcast, “Buha’s Block.”
After SNY’s Ian Begley revealed on July 9 that the Jazz had previously requested at least one first-round pick in talks with teams, their exorbitant price doubled.
Begley stated, “The Knicks had expressed interest in Kessler.” I later learned that Utah had received two first-round offers from teams in the previous few weeks, but they had been rejected.
Of course, we have no idea how much the first-round rounders were worth. First-round selections are not all made equal. Although these picks have protections attached to them, you can still see how highly the Jazz regard Kessler and how much would need to change for them to convince him to leave Utah.
Jazz CEO Danny Ainge “is always looking to win the trade,” according to Buha.
According to Michael Scotto of Hoopshype, Kessler and Nick Richards of the Charlotte Hornets are two trade candidates for the Knicks as a possible Isaiah Hartenstein replacement.
Behind Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs, who won rookie of the year, Kessler concluded the previous season as the second-best shot blocker in the league with 2.4 per game.
The 22-year-old Kessler, who was selected to the All-NBA Rookie First Team, participated for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup in Manila, Philippines, last year. He was the 22nd overall choice in 2022.
The Knicks attempted to sign a French Olympic standout.
According to Begley, the Knicks attempted to sign French Olympic standout center Mathias Lessort to a contract in the NBA.
The day before Team USA and France competed for the gold medal, on August 8, Begley wrote in his SNY’s mailbag, “New York inquired about Lessort’s interest in signing but the player and team were unable to find common ground.”
Lessort, who is six feet nine, was instrumental in leading France to the gold medal match. In the quarterfinals versus Canada, he finished with 13 points, five rebounds, and one block. He then had a 10-point, 4-rebound, 1-steal, and 1-block performance in the semifinals over Germany.
As France’s sixth man, Lessort, 28, averaged 7.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in just 13.6 minutes off the bench.
Lessort was coming off a championship run and selection to the Euroleague First Team prior to his breakthrough performance for the Les Blues.
Lessort scored 17 points and pulled down six rebounds in the Finals against Real Madrid to help Panathinaikos win their eighth Euroleague championship. He’s going to be back at Panathinaikos for the last year of his deal.
The Knicks made the astute transaction that resulted in Immanuel Quickley during the 2020 NBA Draft, in exchange for Lessort’s draft rights.
Jacob Toppin Makes a Two-Way Comeback
The Knicks announced on Wednesday, August 14, that Jacob Toppin, the younger brother of previous lottery pick Obi Toppin, had returned on a new two-way contract.
Toppin joins Ariel Hukporti and Kevin McCullar Jr., two rookies, to complete the Knicks two-way spots. Players with two-way contracts are limited to 50 appearances each NBA season.
In the previous season, Toppin made 17 appearances with the G League’s Westchester Knicks. At the 3-point range, he shot 40.6% and 30.3%, averaging 14.9 points and 6.9 rebounds. During the previous All-Star Weekend, he also competed in the NBA Slam Dunk Competition on behalf of the Knicks, but he was unable to advance to the finals.
