Apr 13, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Trendon Watford (9) goes to the basket after the game New York Knicks forward P.J. Tucker (17) during the second half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Knicks' Final Win Wasn't So Meaningless

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Geoff Maggliocchetti | Last updated Apr 15, 2025 12:00 PM ET

The New York Knicks had a little parting gift for their crosstown rivals.

On paper, New York's 113-105 win over the Brooklyn Nets had no intrinsic value, especially considering no Knicks starter took the floor beyond a six-second cameo from Mikal Bridges, one that allowed him to extend the NBA's 10th-longest streak of consecutive games played to 556.

Both teams' respective fates were sealed long before tip-off: the Knicks were locked into the third seed on the Eastern Conference playoff bracket while the Nets have the sixth-best odds at the NBA Draft Lottery.

The Nets’ pick via the Knicks could have been anywhere from 22-26 had they won today.

Instead it’s locked in at 26.
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) April 13, 2025

But another form of last laugh lies in Manhattan: as noticed by Erik Slater of ClutchPoints, the Knicks' win shuffled a Brooklyn pick as many as four spots down the 2025 draft board, officially locking it into the 26th spot. The pick was reliant on the Knicks' fate in the league standings, as it was in their possession before sending it across the Brooklyn Bridge in the deal that acquired Bridges.

As Slater noted, however, the Nets could've moved that pick to as high as 22nd had they prevailed against Manhattan. Alas for Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn backups were no match for those of the Knicks, who enjoyed a 29-point from Landry Shamet built by seven three-pointers as well as a career-best eight-rebound tally from rookie Kevin McCullar Jr.

The Knicks have faced some scrutiny for sending over five first-round picks to their metropolitan rival for the services of Bridges, who has endured a rollercoaster campaign and has yet to appear in an NBA All-Star Game. But the playoff-bound New Yorkers don't appear to have any regrets in the early going and pushing one of the valuable choices sent away in the deal serves as a petty, if not humorous, footnote to Bridges' first tour of Manhattan.

This article first appeared on New York Knicks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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