New York Knicks: Free Agents That Could Boost the Bench
The New York Knicks need to acquire eight players in the off-season in order to fill their roster. Phil Jackson has options he can get to fill that void.
Free agency is approaching, and there are plenty of quality options available for every NBA team to try and acquire. For New York’s case, there are a few lower-tier players that could prove beneficial for the right price.
First off, there are a few free agent problems to deal with on the Knicks’ roster itself. Arron Afflalo has a player option that he could pick up for $8M, which the Knicks would not benefit from. Although he performed well in a multitude of games for the Knicks, he was not consistent enough to provide an impact from off the bench or in starting lineup. His defensive ferocity would be missed, given New York has few players who are actively defensive on the court. That’s why free agency can help.
There are the obvious free agents that New York fans want the front office to go after: Mike Conley, Kevin Durant, DeMar DeRozan and even Hassan Whiteside. The problematic side to those requests is that each of those players will be asking for a hefty commitment. Whiteside and Durant are max-contracts waiting to happen, Conley and DeRozan are likely to be as well. These players would easily boost the roster’s success, but none of them will actually consider joining the Knicks — sorry Knicks fans.
Marvin Williams, however, could be a possible candidate for joining New York. Though there have been no talks of Williams wanting to relocate, why not speculate?
Williams had a solid slash line of .452/.402/.833 this season, averaging 11.7 points, 1.4 assists, 6.4 rebounds and 1.o blocks per game. His 40 percent shooting from beyond the arc should be enticing for Phil Jackson because of the bench options he already has.
More from Daily Knicks
- Former New York Knicks center gets real about 2013 playoff shortcomings
- When is the deadline for the Knicks to extend Immanuel Quickley?
- 3 Rumored Knicks trade targets not worth giving up RJ Barrett for
- Bill Simmons ‘guarantees’ Knicks will have one of three stars by next year
- How to watch New York Knicks players compete for bronze at World Cup
Kyle O’Quinn, who was essentially omitted from the rotation, and Lou Amundson are both unable to space the floor for New York — let alone defend. Derrick Williams is the only other bench power-forward that could make a case for themselves, though his numbers don’t quite amount to Marvin Williams’. Per 100 possessions, Williams has a Defensive Rating of 104, complemented by his Offensive Rating of 118. He is a solid two way player that could instantly make an impact coming off the bench for NYK, and he could essentially swap in for Afflalo’s contract if he opts out.
Norris Cole will have made $3 million or so after this season. He’s a relatively cheap option, and despite a few setbacks in the season, has shown flashes of starting potential. Though he’s an unrestricted free agent, it’d be hard to see New Orleans let him go considering his offensive strengths.
In 23 starts for the Pelicans, Cole averaged 13.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game on a slash line of .429/.412/.854. His potential is high, but considering the already crowded front-court in New York, parts would have to be moved in order to maximize Cole’s role in a NY rotation.
More from Knicks News
- Former New York Knicks center gets real about 2013 playoff shortcomings
- When is the deadline for the Knicks to extend Immanuel Quickley?
- How to watch New York Knicks players compete for bronze at World Cup
- 3 Reasons Tom Thibodeau can’t ignore Miles McBride in 2023-24
- Knicks fans get super anticlimactic ending to 2023 FIBA World Cup
The best case scenario would be Phil Jackson moving Calderon to fix the rotation for the Knicks’ guards. That would leave Tony Wroten, Norris Cole and Jerian Grant as the remaining point-guards on the team. Of course, Wroten can play both guard spots, which could prove fruitful for Cole in a minutes perspective. That would shift Wroten to the SG position, left behind Langston Galloway at most — unless Wroten proves he can start and contribute right away.
It’d be an interesting grab for New York if you consider Cole’s championship experience and his athleticism compared to the Knicks’ poor back-court presence.
Gerald Green could be a decent player for New York for his offense. His year with the Heat was one of his worst, but one has to think back to his tenure with the Suns. When Eric Bledsoe went down with a season-ending injury, Green was placed in the starting lineup and wound up having a career year in the 2013-14 season.
His defensive numbers don’t speak much to the appeal of New York fans, but he can still provide an impact off the bench at least. He’s played 22.6 minutes per game this season averaging 8.9 points and 2.4 rebounds. His scoring was limited because of his placement behind Dwyane Wade and Tyler Johnson in the rotation, but Green still provided some energy.
He is like Derrick Williams in that he provides athletic finishes and quick transition points, which is something the Knicks truly need coming off the bench — the Knicks played a pace of 93.4 possessions per 48 minutes, 2.4 points lower than the League overall per Basketball-Reference.com.
Next: International Players Worth Pursuing by Knicks
The New York Knicks will only have seven players who are guaranteed a roster spot in the 2016-17 season, and eight more players are needed to meet the 15 man requirement. It would pay for Phil Jackson to use his salary cap money to acquire cheap, quality role players. It won’t be easy to grab the top-tier players, so Jackson just needs to keep his eyes on the lesser targets just in case.