New York Knicks: Top 10 Free Agent Shooting Guards

1. Nicolas Batum, UFA

2015-16 Team: Charlotte Hornets

Age: 27

Slash Line: .426/.348/.849

Season Averages: 35.0 MPG, 14.9 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 5.8 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 2.0 3PM

One could make a case that other available shooting guards are better players than Nicolas Batum. It’d be very difficult to argue that any one of them is a better fit for the New York Knicks.

For a Knicks team that needs athletes, shooters, defenders, and facilitators, adding a shooting guard who checks all four boxes could prove invaluable.

Batum is 27 years old, meaning New York would conceivably be signing him to a contract that spans the duration of his prime. That’s an intriguing proposition for a team that needs a player who’s ready to immediately contribute in aid of Carmelo Anthony.

The fact that Batum has already played with both Arron Afflalo and Robin Lopez—his former teammates with the Portland Trail Blazers—adds further reason for intrigue.

Batum’s ability to space the floor and defend multiple positions would be invaluable to any team, let alone the Knicks. The true selling point is his ability to facilitate, however, as it would greatly alleviate the pressure from whomever New York names as its starting point guard.

That includes Jerian Grant and Tony Wroten, who possess immense potential, but may not yet be ready to run the show.

More knicks: Who are the best available point guards for the New York Knicks in 2016?

His asking price will be steep, but if any shooting guard is worth handing a significant amount of money to, it’s Batum.