Knicks: Arron Afflalo Weighs In On Move to Second Unit
Arron Afflalo has an $8 million player option for 2016-17. Will he be back with the New York Knicks? Or has his recent benching pushed him away?
The New York Knicks have made tremendous progress since 2014-15. It may not be enough to appease understandably title-hungry Knicks fans, but a revamped roster has helped New York nearly double its win total from a season ago.
One of the men responsible for the Knicks’ stark improvement is veteran shooting guard Arron Afflalo.
Afflalo signed a two-year deal worth $16 million with the Knicks during the summer of 2015. The second season is a player option for $8 million, which means Afflalo will determine whether or not he returns to New York for the 2016-17 season.
According to Ian Begley of ESPN New York, Afflalo’s recent move from the starting lineup to the second unit has not resulted in his ruling out a return to the Knicks in 2016-17.
"“It’s one of those things I’ll have to weigh in June. But hopefully an entire body of work is looked at on both ends,”“There’s always great opportunities … and this is still one.”"
New York is still an option for Afflalo, and at this point in time, that’s all he can be expected to say.
Afflalo’s comments were more non-committal than anything else, but it’s clear that Afflalo hasn’t yet ruled the Knicks out as an option. Instead, he remains in the process of attempting to understand New York’s decision to move him to the second unit.
Surprising as it may be, the move was made with a long-term purpose.
Every decision made between Derek Fisher‘s firing and the current stage of the season has been based on a long-term vision. Kurt Rambis has remained in the position of interim head coach due to the healthy working relationship that’s been established between he and team president Phil Jackson.
Thus, Afflalo’s benching is more a product of New York’s long-term vision of his performing in the role of sixth man than a statement on his inability to start.
That much was made clear by Rambis himself, per Marc Berman of The New York Post.
"“This is not a punishment,” Rambis said of Afflalo’s demotion. “It’s more his natural position.”“All players want to start — I get that,” Rambis said. “I’m sure he’d rather be starting.”"
The $8 million question is, does Afflalo want to play the role of sixth man?
It’s worth noting that Afflalo played an average of 32.2 minutes during the five games he’s spent coming off of the bench. Thus, his move to the bench is exactly as Rambis described it: a change in the role he plays, but not an indictment of his abilities.
Should Afflalo prove accepting of his role as sixth man, he could anchor a significantly improved second unit in 2016-17.
There’s simply no guaranteeing he will.
The Knicks are projected to have $18 million in cap space. Player options belonging to Afflalo, $8 million, and Derrick Williams, $4.4 million, could create even more money for New York to burn, and the use of the stretch provision on Jose Calderon‘s $7.7 million deal would save roughly $5 million in cap space.
Having Afflalo back in the role of sixth man, however, would enable the Knicks to create a stronger and more balanced attack than it’s possessed in 2015-16.
Afflalo is a two-way player who has played quite well in the Triangle Offense. Thus far, he’s averaging 13.6 points on an efficient slash line of .453/.392/.864, which makes him the perfect candidate to be the second unit’s primary scoring option.
Only time will tell if that’s a role the 30-year-old is willing to embrace.