A trade between the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers that went through Wednesday night may not involve the New York Knicks, but it brings up a pretty darn relevant point about how much dough Knicks' owner James Dolan is doling out for a 4-20 team.
The 4-20 Knicks don’t have the NBA’s highest payroll -- yet
The Brooklyn Nets’ trade of Andrei Kirilenko to the Philadelphia 76ers paints a depressing picture for the New York Knicks.
First, the details: the Nets traded away veteran forward Andre Kirilenko and his $3.3 million contract, guard Jorge Gutierrez and a 2020 second-round pick for Sixers' forward Brandon Davies. The Sixers also have the right to swap 2018 second-round picks with the Nets, according to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.
Brooklyn is expected to retain Davies for the time being -- his contract is not guaranteed before Jan. 10 -- but if the Nets waive him, that puts their payroll at $89.6 million, which isn’t much more than the Knicks’ current salary total, which sits at $88.3 million.
Did we mention the Knicks are currently 4-20?
Yes, Brooklyn did itself a solid by dumping Kirilenko’s contract, saving themselves $11 million in salary and luxury taxes. That the Nets have also put Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez on the trading block makes for an intriguing future as they search for more salary cap relief.
If and when the Nets make their next move, it’ll be the New York Knicks officially owning the NBA’s largest payroll.
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