Knicks free agency and trade buzz: Potential target Bruce Brown agrees to sign with Pacers

Here is the latest news and updates on Knicks trades and free agency buzz...

June 30, 6:35 p.m.

Guard Bruce Brown is signing with the Indiana Pacers, according to multiple reports. Brown reportedly agreed to a two-year, $45 million deal with the Pacers.

SNY NBA Insider Ian Begley reported earlier Friday that Brown was set to meet with five teams at the start of free agency including: the Knicks, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Pacers, and Dallas Mavericks.

Brown, a former Net and a part of the Denver Nuggets' championship team, was linked to the Knicks if the team was unable to sign Donte DiVincenzo.

June 30, 3:42 p.m.

The Indiana Pacers have "emerged as a leading trade suitor" for Obi Toppin, Marc Stein reports.

The Knicks would be seeking draft compensation from the Pacers in any Toppin trade, according to SNY NBA Insider Ian Begley.

Begley also reported last week that the Pacers and Knicks "had talks that were more than exploratory about a Toppin trade" prior to last season's trade deadline, but talks stalled.

June 30, 10:40 a.m.

SNY NBA Insider Ian Begley reports that guard Bruce Brown will meet with five teams at the start of free agency: the Knicks, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Indiana Pacers, and Dallas Mavericks.

Brown, a former Net, has been linked to the Knicks as a potential option should they not be able to sign Donte DiVincenzo.

According to The Athletic, the Lakers are “increasingly confident” they’ll be able to sign Brown.

June 30, 8:43 a.m.

According to a report from C.J. Holmes of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Knicks have "emerged as favorites" to sign free agent guard Donte DiVincenzo.

This report falls in line with SNY NBA Insider Ian Begley's previous reporting that there is strong support from "prominent members" within the Knicks organization when it comes to signing the Villanova product.

Begley has also reported that there is mutual interest between DiVincenzo and the Knicks.

"Odds are that they will if they get the money right, I think they'll get Donte," Begley said on the latest edition of The Putback.

June 29, 5:43 p.m.

James Harden is reportedly exercising his $35.6 million option with the Philadelphia 76ers for the upcoming season, but there's a caveat.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Harden is accepting the option so he and the organization can work out a trade with another team.

SNY's Ian Begley confirms the Clippers and the Knicks are two teams that have interest in the 10-time All-Star. However, the Knicks' interest in Harden is "far from uniform" throughout the organization.

June 29, 1:30 p.m.

The Lakers are “increasingly confident” they’ll be able to sign free agent Bruce Brown to the non-taxpayer midlevel exception, according to the Athletic.

The MLE is a projected $12.4 million per year, and Los Angeles has reportedly been showing significant interest in the 26-year-old.

Brown proved to be a versatile piece for the champion Denver Nuggets last season. He appeared in 80 games, 31 of which were starts. He improved his shooting (54 percent from the field) and averaged 11.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game. 

Brown was viewed as a potential fallback option for the Knicks if they don't end up signing Donte DiVincenzo, according to SNY NBA Insider Ian Begley.

While there is mutual interest between the Knicks and DiVincenzo, it appears they may have to look elsewhere if they aren't able to reach an agreement.

June 27, 3:15 p.m.

On the latest episode of The Putback, SNY’s NBA Insider Ian Begley said the Knicks could make a run at forward Bruce Brown if they don’t end up signing Donte DiVincenzo.

There's been plenty of smoke around DiVincenzo and the Knicks of late and it certainly makes sense with his connections to the team. The guard was teammates with Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson during their time at Villanova.

If that doesn't work out, though, Begley says the Knicks may take a look at Brown.

The 26-year-old recently declined his $6.8 million player option with the Nuggets and became a free agent. Across 80 games for the 2023 champs, he averaged 11.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists.

June 23, 12:10 a.m.

Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine's camp would be against a potential trade to the Knicks, according to the New York Daily News' Stefan Bondy.

LaVine, 28, signed a massive five-year, $215 million deal with the Bulls prior to the 2022-2023 season. He is due $40 million next year and has a player-option for the 2026-2027 season.

The two-time All-Star and two-time Slam Dunk Champion averaged 24.8 points per game last year over 77 games, but the Bulls finished the season with a 40-42 record and lost to the eventual Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat in the Play-In Game.

Chicago's recent struggles may force them to make a big trade and start rebuilding, but it's unclear if the Bulls would entertain moving on from LaVine.

SNY's Ian Begley recently reported that "even if Chicago is totally open to moving LaVine, there are other hurdles involved in any LaVine-to-NY scenario that, to me, make a deal unlikely."