Six-Time All-Star Publicly States Knicks ‘Didn’t Want Me’
The New York Knicks assembled a core of four Villanova alumni by acquiring Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets. However, Kyle Lowry, whose Wildcats jersey is retired, joked that he wasn’t invited to join.
During the American Century Championship golf tournament in Stateline, Nevada, the six-time All-Star was introduced by an announcer who listed his Villanova achievements. The announcer ended with a remark about Lowry not joining the “Villanova Knicks” this summer, to which Lowry replied to the Lake Tahoe crowd, “They didn’t want me.”
Lowry, who became an unrestricted free agent after the 2023-2024 season with the Philadelphia 76ers, chose to re-sign with the team on a one-year deal. Shams Charania was the first to report this news.
Sources confirmed to @TheAthletic @Stadium that free agent guard Kyle Lowry has agreed to a deal to return to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Lowry averaged 8 points, 4.6 assists, and 2.8 rebounds in 23 regular-season games with Philadelphia last year.
Katz: Lowry Was ‘On Knicks’ List’ in 2023
Fred Katz of The Athletic reported that New York considered Lowry last season before he signed with the 76ers.
“Lowry was on the Knicks’ list after a buyout with the Charlotte Hornets last winter, according to league sources,” Katz wrote on June 11. “Though he eventually signed with the 76ers.”
Charlotte bought out Lowry after receiving a future first-round pick as an incentive to acquire him from the Miami Heat. He then signed with the 76ers for the rest of the season for $2.8 million, with some encouragement from Josh Hart, who admitted to recruiting Lowry once he became a free agent midseason.
“Yeah, I texted his (expletive),” Hart told CBS Sports on March 18. “I told him, ‘Pull up.’ Told him, ‘(expletive) with us.’ But obviously that didn’t happen, so (expletive) him.”
After being eliminated by New York in the first round of the playoffs, Lowry showed respect for his fellow Villanova alumni.
“You gotta tip your hat to those Villanova kids,” Lowry told reporters on May 3. “They did their job in this series. As a fellow Wildcat, I’m proud of them and I have big love for those guys.”
Jalen Brunson, Knicks Committed to Each Other
Jalen Brunson has played just 145 regular-season games over two seasons in a Knicks uniform, yet his commitment to the franchise is nearly unrivaled across the league. And clearly, the feeling is mutual.
In an “unprecedented” move, Brunson and New York agreed on a four-year, $156.5 million extension on July 12. This financial concession, aimed at providing roster flexibility to a contender, resulted in $113 million less guaranteed than he was eligible to receive, according to his agent Sam Rose of CAA, as reported by ESPN.
By choosing to sign his extension this summer instead of next year, Brunson is forgoing $113 million, according to Wojnarowski.
“The deal, which begins in 2025-26 and will pay Brunson $37.1 million over the next three years, includes a fourth-year player option,” Sam Rose said. This could allow Brunson to recoup the $113 million through a four-year, $323 million maximum extension in 2028 or a new five-year, $418 million deal in 2029,” Wojnarowski wrote on July 12.
The gathering of his former college teammates highlights the Knicks’ confidence in Brunson, a trust that has been reciprocated by the player since his rise to stardom in New York.
Hart was brought in at the trade deadline during Brunson’s first year with the team. Donte DiVincenzo joined in free agency the following summer, and they traded for Bridges on June 25.
This demonstrates how the Knicks are empowering their superstar. Whether it was necessary or not is beside the point. Brunson and the Knicks are mutually uplifting each other year after year and will continue to do so.
“Nova York” began as a joke, but even without Lowry’s addition, it has become one of the NBA’s more successful business models.
