Knicks trade Nerlens Noel, Alec Burks to Pistons to clear salary cap space with eyes on Jalen Brunson

The Knicks moved one step closer to landing unrestricted free agent Jalen Brunson on Tuesday night by clearing roughly $17 million in cap space.

They did so by trading Nerlens Noel and Alec Burks to Detroit along with two second-round picks and $6 million in cash, sources confirm.

The trade – first reported by ESPN – gives New York roughly $30 million in cap space at the moment.

The club can create roughly $35 million in space by waiving center Taj Gibson (If they waived Gibson, I’d expect New York to look to re-sign the veteran later in the offseason).

Prior to Tuesday’s trade, the Knicks and Pistons had discussed different variations of deals that included Evan Fournier and Cam Reddish, per SNY sources.

It is unclear if those talks will continue. But several opposing teams monitoring the offseason market expect New York to make another move after the presumed signing of Brunson.

The Knicks can offer Brunson a max deal of four years and $131 million (that deal would start at $30.5 million).

Opposing execs expect the Knicks' offer to Brunson to total around $105 million, though that is speculative.

New York should have cap space left over to sign another player and the club has plenty of draft capital (11 first-round picks and nine second-round picks over the next seven years) to use in trades.

Assuming Brunson signs with the Knicks, he will have plenty of organic ties to the organization.

The Knicks have added Brunson’s father, Rick Brunson, to Tom Thibodeau’s staff.

Team president Leon Rose represented Jalen Brunson as a top agent at CAA before he took over the Knicks.

Rick Brunson was also a client of Leon Rose’s.

Rick Brunson and Thibodeau have known one another for more than three decades.

So the connections between Brunson and the organization are deep.

New York has used draft capital (six second-round picks, by my count) to shed the salaries of Kemba Walker, Noel and Burks over the past week.

All three players were signed in the 2021 offseason.

The decision to shed this salary and go after Brunson is probably the most significant move for Rose & Co. to date.

If the presumed Brunson signing – and whatever acquisition comes next – helps the Knicks become a perennial contender, no one will talk about the mistakes of the 2021 offseason. The connections between Rose, the Knicks and Brunson will be seen as advantageous.

But if Brunson signs and the Knicks struggle next season, Rose and New York will have little wiggle room to reset the roster again. And the frustration from the long-suffering Knicks fan base will be palpable.