What the Knicks can learn from the Nuggets-Heat Finals showdown

There was patience. There was expert development. There were smart front-office maneuvers.

The Nuggets’ rise to NBA champions didn’t happen by accident. It took time, gradual improvement and shrewd decision-making until a magical spring in which Denver was by far the best team in an otherwise wild postseason.

It was also a lesson for Leon Rose and the Knicks as they enter into a fascinating offseason coming off the franchise’s best season in a decade.

Star-hunting may not be the right direction for Tom Thibodeau and Company.

Now, there is no Nikola Jokic on this roster, the 41st pick in the 2014 draft who has become arguably the best player in the sport. But the Nuggets also showed that continuity still matters in the NBA, that development is making a comeback. So is patience.

The Nuggets didn’t rush things.

They waited for Jamal Murray to recover from a torn ACL he suffered two years ago. They made the smart move of bringing in Aaron Gordon at the 2021 trade deadline.

It is at least something Rose and the Knicks’ front office has to consider after a breakthrough season in which the team won its first postseason series since 2013 and saw Jalen Brunson establish himself as a top lead guard in the league, Immanuel Quickley take a step forward one of the best reserves in the game and several other young players make significant leaps.

Just look at the storyline of last summer, when the Knicks were unable to pry Donovan Mitchell away from the Jazz. It would’ve taken significant draft picks and developing assets to pull it off.

Mitchell had a fantastic first season with the Cavaliers, reaching the fourth All-Star Game of his career, but it was Brunson, and not Mitchell, who was the best player in the Knicks’ opening-round series victory over Cleveland.

This isn’t to suggest the Knicks should simply run back the same team. That would be a mistake, and would risk regression.

They can’t fall into the same trap they did two years ago after reaching the playoffs in Thibodeau’s first year and expect similar results from a similar roster.

But they shouldn’t go too far to the other extreme, either.

Brunson could be developing into a superstar. Quentin Grimes is only getting better. The same could be said for Quickley, RJ Barrett — who enjoyed a strong postseason — and Mitchell Robinson.

The league seems to be moving away from the era of the superteam, and it’s not just because of the Nuggets.

It’s the Heat reaching the Finals with so many undrafted players.

It’s the mostly homegrown Celtics.

The Knicks have followed a similar model so far.

Brunson obviously is a big part of that, a good player with the Mavericks who was undervalued there and proved in his first season with the Knicks he was ready for much bigger things.

The consensus is the Knicks need another star to pair with him. Julius Randle may not be that player, at least not with what he has done in his two trips to the playoffs.

But as we witnessed in the Finals, patience is being rewarded lately.

Rose has to consider that when he attacks this offseason. Breaking up this team to add a star may not be the right path.

Buyer beware

The free-agency period is mere weeks away, and there are bound to be numerous rumors attaching the Knicks to a number of star players, be they free agents or just looking for a change of scenery.

But not every big name makes sense, as noted above.

Let’s take a look at a few of the more prominent potential options who are already rumored to be available and why they don’t fit:

Damian Lillard

He’s one of the best players in the league, and is coming off a season in which he averaged over 30 points and seven assists per game while shooting 37.1 percent from 3-point range on 11.3 attempts.

But he is just too redundant with Brunson, another small guard who isn’t known for defending.

Lillard also is 32, so there is a fair amount of worn tread there.

This would have been a no-brainer before Brunson. Now, the Knicks are better off using assets elsewhere.

Karl-Anthony Towns

The Edison, N.J., native has been linked to the Knicks for quite some time, in part because team president Leon Rose was once his agent.

He’s played in three All-Star Games, and has put up gaudy stats as an inside-out offensive force at 7 feet tall. His touch from the perimeter would open up the floor, but he didn’t perform well at the four for the Timberwolves after the addition of Rudy Gobert, and his defense has never been considered a strength for a center.

Similar to Randle, the 27-year-old Towns has yet to prove himself in the postseason, but unlike Randle, his contract is not team-friendly at all. He signed a four-year, $224 million supermax extension last summer.

Bradley Beal 

ESPN and The Athletic both reported Wednesday that Beal could be had in the right package, which likely will entice the Knicks.

He’s an elite shooter and three-time All-Star who is still only 29. Pairing Beal with Brunson would give the Knicks one of the premier backcourts in the league.

Still, there are red flags that are hard to ignore.

Beal has played an average of just 51.7 games over the past four seasons.

He is owed a ridiculous amount of money: $46.7 million next season, $50.2 million the season after, $53.6 million in 2025-26 and has a player option worth up to $57.1 million for 2026-27.

And his defense is average at best, evident in the 115.9 defensive rating Beal posted last season, a figure that was among the worst on the woeful Wizards.

Zion Williamson

Too much drama and not enough production.

Yes, there is incredible upside with Williamson. When he plays, he performs.

He just doesn’t play nearly enough, having logged 114 games total in four years in the league. It’s too much of a gamble.

Now he’s making headlines for off-the-court decisions involving a porn star.

It would be one thing if he were a free agent, but moving assets for question marks isn’t smart business. The Pelicans wouldn’t be looking to move him otherwise.