Mike Brown New Knicks’ Boss, Deandre Ayton to Lakers in Wednesday Moves

Cover photo: Mike Brown coaching LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2008. Photo credit: Jesse D. Garrabrant, 2008 NBAE and Getty Images.

Two big deals were agreed upon on Wednesday afternoon and evening, as the New York Knicks found their new head coach and the Los Angeles Lakers found their new center. 

The Knicks are hiring Mike Brown as their new head coach, per SNY’s Ian Begley. The Knicks will be the fourth franchise that Brown has led, following the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Sacramento Kings. Brown was the NBA’s Coach of the Year in 2008-09 for a 66-win Cavalier team, and also won the award for the 2022-23 season, a campaign in which he led the Kings to a 48-34 record and their first playoff berth since 2005. The Kings went 46-36 in 2023-24, and in 2024-25 the Kings were 13-18 before firing Brown. In their 2022-23 season, the team led the NBA in offensive rating at 119.4. The 55-year-old Brown has a 454-304 regular season record and a 50-40 playoff record. The Cavaliers won the Eastern Conference under Brown in 2007. 

With the Knicks, Brown takes over a team that went 51-31 and lost in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals. So far this offseason, the Knicks have added guard Jordan Clarkson, who will give them some scoring punch off the bench. Brown as he did in Sacramento will have a talented guard-center tandem to work with as Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns are team cornerstones. 

Later on on Wednesday evening, the Lakers reached a deal with the 26-year-old Ayton, signing him to a two-year deal worth $16.6 million, according to Jake Fischer. The deal includes a second-year player option. 

Ayton, who will be 27 years old on July 23, averaged 14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds in forty games in 2024-25. In twelve shot attempts per game, he shot 56.6% from the field. Ayton has a good jump shot and is an athletic center who can run but his defensive effort has been questioned at times. Still, he has career averages of 10.5 rebounds and 16.4 points on 59% shooting. He has started 391 of 398 career games. 

The 7-footer will give Luka Doncic (coincidentally Ayton’s 2018 draft mate) a big to play and pick and roll with and lob to and hopefully grow for the future. In the interim, it makes the Lakers much better inside and fills their biggest weakness. Still, the depth of the team needs improvement. At least with Ayton now in the fold though they have addressed their biggest need and are in a better position going into 2025-26.