Knicks will trade Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel for Pistons to make room for the cap in the pursuit of Jalen Brunson, according to the report

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Last week, on draft night, the New York Knicks traded Kemba Walker and No. 13 overall (Jalen Duren) to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for a future first-round pick. Now, just days later, both sides have joined forces to finalize another deal.

This time around, the Knicks will send Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel, two future second-round picks and $6 million in cash to the Pistons to give the Pistons more cap space for their pursuit of Jalen Brunson. according to Adrian Wojnarowski. The Pistons will not be returning any players to the Knicks as part of the deal.

Burks and Noel’s move allows the Knicks to take another $19 million off their books. Combined with the money lost trading Walker, they now have around $30 million in cap space this summer, which will be more than enough for them Offer Brunson a deal worth $100 million over four years.

Several reports suggested so early Tuesday The Knicks are now the favorites to sign Brunson. They’ve hired his dad as an assistant coach, worked to clear the space for the cap, and can now make a competitive offer when free agency opens at 6 p.m. ET on June 30. While the Mavericks are better set for immediate success, Brunson will take on a new challenge in New York and also play a bigger role on offense.

It’s also worth noting that the Mavericks’ chances of salvaging the situation by drafting a sign-and-trade have been greatly reduced since the Knicks now have the cap spot to sign Brunson. As it stands, the Mavs will likely lose Brunson for nothing, which will deal a major blow to their hopes of another playoff run next season.

For the Pistons, this deal also affects their summer plans. While reports after their successful draft suggested they would no longer pursue Deandre Ayton, there was still a chance they could go down that route. Now they are officially excluded from these sweepstakes. Instead, they will happily use their cap space to absorb expiring contracts, adding draft assets in the process. Veterans like Burks and Noel can help set an example for their young team this season and may get turned around on deadline day. If not, they will be phased out next summer and the Pistons will again have plenty of room on the canopy to work with.