Man, that Game 6 loss in Indiana? Brutal. Just brutal. The New York Knicks’ playoff dream, the one that had the whole city absolutely buzzing, just went up in smoke. The Pacers closed them out 125-108, and just like that, no Game 7 at the Garden, no trip to the NBA Finals. All that’s left is that quiet, empty feeling when your team’s season is suddenly over, and a whole bunch of unsettling questions about what happens next. And if you’re a Knicks fan hoping for some ‘don’t worry, we’ll get ’em next year!’ talk, well, Josh Hart just dropped a dose of reality that might be a little tough to swallow.
While Coach Tom Thibodeau was doing his usual post-game thing, talking about “process” and offseason plans, Josh Hart—you know, the guy who plays like his hair is on fire every single night and clearly loves being a Knick—got super real about how things work in the NBA. Someone asked him about the team’s future, about “running it back,” and Hart didn’t just give the easy, feel-good answer.
“I don’t know. I mean, you’re always gonna hear me say ‘run it back.’… I feel like this team is good enough to make the next step,” Hart started. “But we all know it’s a business. And when you don’t get to where you feel like you should’ve—or could’ve—changes are made.”
He wasn’t done there, laying out his own career as a tough reminder: “I’ve been in the league… this is my eighth year… my fourth organization. I’ve had like six or seven coaches… You can never get too comfortable. You never know. Open your phone one day and… boom.” Hart finished with the line that’s probably got every Knicks fan feeling uneasy: “So I think that’s what’s most disappointing—knowing there’s a good chance that this team… might not be back in totality.” That’s a tough pill to swallow when the sting of getting bounced from the Eastern Conference Finals is still so fresh.
“That’s what’s disappointing the most, knowing that there’s a good chance that this team might not be back in totality.”
– Josh Hart pic.twitter.com/YMgL1XlaP3
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) June 1, 2025
Meanwhile, Coach Thibodeau was already in full Mr. Pragmatic offseason mode. When asked about the team’s next steps, Thibs outlined his methodical approach: after every season, you “take a step back… decompress, you do a deep dive on the team, and then you analyze what you think you need to improve upon.” He acknowledged it’s a “big offseason for us,” involving the draft, free agency, trades, and internal development.
But, in classic Thibs fashion, he stayed cautious about making splashy moves, emphasizing that the front office would look at all possibilities, but stressing, “we’re not just going to do something to do something. It has to make sense. And we have to feel that it does improve the team.” No big emotional statements, just the steady march of a coach already focused on the grind ahead.
So, while the fans are wrestling with Josh Hart’s very real, very unsettling take on the business of basketball, the coach is already locked in on a “big offseason” and the grind of improvement.
Knicks’ next chapter – got Hart, got grit, need… bench players?
In all, the Knicks went all-in. They made huge moves to bring in guys like OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Karl-Anthony Towns, all to put serious talent around their main man, Jalen Brunson. And for the most part? It worked! You don’t make it to the ECF by accident. They had that awesome nine-game winning streak in December where they looked like an absolute machine. When this team was clicking, with Brunson or KAT going off, and those defensive wings locking people down, they looked dangerous.
But the Pacers series, man, it exposed a massive flaw: depth. Or rather, a lack of it. While Indiana was throwing fresh bodies at them, the Knicks, in classic Tom Thibodeau fashion, were riding their starters into the ground. Thibs played his main guys over 35 minutes a game in the regular season, and you better believe he didn’t ease up in the playoffs – he actually leaned on them even harder. That just wears guys down, especially against a deep, energetic team like the Pacers.
So, as they head into this “big offseason,” the Knicks have their core guys in place: Brunson, KAT, Anunoby, Bridges, Hart, Mitchell Robinson, and even Deuce McBride are all signed. That’s a heck of a foundation. But the problem is that the foundation is expensive. Their projected salary is already way up there, around $194 million, which means they’re bumping right up against those new, super-restrictive salary cap aprons. They might have the taxpayer mid-level exception (around $5.7 million) to play with, but using that could hard-cap them, making other moves even tougher.
And what about adding new talent? Their own key free agents are Precious Achiuwa and Landry Shamet. Can they bring them back without breaking the bank? And in the draft? They’ve only got the 50th pick. Finding a guy who can crack Thibs’ rotation that late is like finding a needle in a haystack, though if they snag a tough defender, maybe Thibs gives him a look.
The mission is clear: build on this season’s success and become a true championship contender. That means finding reliable role players, guys who can come off the bench, give the starters a breather, and not have a massive drop-off in quality. They need guys who can hit open shots, play tough D, and fit into Thibs’ system. But with very little financial wiggle room, it’s going to take some serious creativity from Leon Rose and the front office. Can they find some diamonds in the rough with that taxpayer MLE? Can they make a savvy trade without giving up too much? It’s going to be an interesting off-season for the Knicks, that’s for sure.
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