New York Knicks: Free Agent Shooters To Target

The New York Knicks stand to benefit from adding 3-point shooters. Which free agents could fill the void?

The New York Knicks have made a concerted effort to address the most noticeable voids on the roster. Team president Phil Jackson has filled the Knicks’ most significant voids, but the second unit still needs work.

What’s left for New York to do is create what every championship-caliber team possesses: depth.

There are a number of different ways for a team acquire depth, but for New York, there’s a specific skill that’d be of great value. It isn’t the one and only option in free agency, but it’s what’d fit Jeff Hornacek’s system.

Carmelo Anthony, Courtney Lee, and Kristaps Porzingis will be of aid in this regard, but the Knicks need more shooters.

3-point shooting is more prominent a factor in the modern era than ever before. Zero teams attempted at least 2,000 3-point field goals in a recent 2011-12 campaign, and 13 teams eclipsed said mark in 2015-16.

The question is, who are the best—and most realistically affordable—shooters for the Knicks to consider?

Next: Combo Guard

Seth Curry, Restricted Free Agent

Position: Guard
Age: 25 (8/23/1990)
Slash Line: .455/.450/.833
Season Averages: 15.7 MPG, 6.8 PPG, 1.5 APG, 1.4 RPG, 1.1 3PM

In 2015-16, the Sacramento Kings found one of the NBA’s breakout fantasy basketball stars in Seth Curry. Younger brother of two-time defending league MVP Stephen Curry, the former Duke Blue Devils star came on strong towards the end of the season.

The most recent development has positioned Phil Jackson and the New York Knicks to make a serious run at one of the better shooters in the NBA.

Translation: Curry no longer has a $1.2 million qualifying offer from the Sacramento Kings, meaning the Knicks can make an offer without having to worry about it being matched.

Curry, 25, is a 6’2″ shooting guard who turned heads during the second half of the 2015-16 season. He averaged 11.1 points, 2.6 assists, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.9 3-point field goals in 23.1 minutes after the All-Star Break.

Curry did so on a slash line of .463/.463/.897, which isn’t too different from his full-season slash line of .455/.450/833.

A 44-game sample size is dangerous to work with, but Curry is an undeniably superb shooter. It’s the reason he’s currently in the NBA, and it could be the skill that he utilizes to thrive in Jeff Hornacek’s offense.

Curry is a liability defensively, but in his first NBA season, he shot 50.6 percent on catch-and-shoot 3-point field goals. He should be on the radar.

Next: Explosive Athleticism

Gerald Green, Unrestricted Free Agent

Position: Guard/Forward
Age: 30 (1/26/1986)
Slash Line: .392/.323/.783
Season Averages: 22.6 MPG, 8.9 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 1.2 3PM

The New York Knicks are preparing to run an up-tempo offense that will rely upon the guards’ ability to space the floor. Derrick Rose and Courtney Lee are both high-caliber athletes, but New York needs depth.

There’s no available player with a better—and more realistically affordable—combination of athleticism and 3-point shooting than Gerald Green.

Green is an explosive athlete who can break out in transition and throw down with incomparable power. Even at 30 years of age, he’s a game-changing dunk artist who can swing momentum with his mere ability to finish above the rim.

With a career mark of 36.1 percent from beyond the arc, it’s clearly worth noting that Green is a consistent 3-point shooter.

Green’s career-best seasons were experienced in 2013-14 and 2014-15 with the Phoenix Suns. He posted a cumulative average of 14.0 points on 38.0 percent shooting from beyond the arc, making 341 3-point field goals in 156 games played.

Green’s coach during those career-best seasons: Jeff Hornacek, who’s now the head coach of the New York Knicks.

Next: Veteran Presence

Kevin Martin, Unrestricted Free Agent

Position: Shooting Guard
Age: 33 (2/1/1983)
Slash Line: .372/.360/.890
Season Averages: 19.9 MPG, 9.3 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.9 3PM

Just one season ago, Kevin Martin was averaging 20 points per game and shooting efficiently from beyond the arc. One turbulent demotion later, Martin could be signed for an unfathomably affordable contract.

It’s not a foolproof strategy, but the New York Knicks should give serious consideration to signing Martin to a short-term deal.

Martin finished the 2014-15 season with averages of 20.0 points and 1.9 3-point field goals made on a slash line of .427/.393/.881. There was a limited sample size due to injury, but in 2013-14, he averaged 19.1 points and 1.7 3-point field goals on 38.7 percent shooting from distance.

Martin may not be the type of player who can contribute 20 points per game, but he’s still an outstanding shooter who’d provide positive offensive minutes.

Martin’s defensive inconsistency is a concern, and there’s no way to dismiss that reality. On the offensive end, however, he’s the ideal veteran to add as a sharpshooter who can attack closeouts and draw contact.

Martin can’t break many defenders down in isolation at age 33, but Jeff Hornacek’s offense would fit him well.

Next: Welcome Back?

Steve Novak, Unrestricted Free Agent

Position: Forward
Age: 33 (6/13/1983)
Slash Line: .444/.467/1.000
Season Averages: 4.4 MPG, 2.4 PPG, 0.5 RPG, 0.7 3PM

Those outside of New York may never understand why Steve Novak is such a beloved local figure. New York Knicks fans, however, will forever hold Novak in esteem for his contributions to the teams of 2011-12 and 2012-13.

Novak wouldn’t be signed to play a high number of minutes, but he’s an outstanding shooter who can be had at the veteran’s minimum.

In 2011-12, Novak led the NBA in 3-point field goal percentage, and ranked No. 3 in 3-point field goals made. In 2012-13, he converted 149 3-points field goals on 42.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

In both of those seasons, he played an instrumental role in maintaining excitement at Madison Square Garden and giving New York momentum.

Novak won’t make 149 3-point field goals in 2015-16—no matter which team he signs with. He can be a valuable player in a minor role, however, as he’s capable of providing 5-to-10 minutes of 3-point shooting and energy.

If nothing else, Novak is a fan favorite and a positive voice in the locker room who’d be good for team morale.

Next: Combo Guard

Marcus Thornton, Unrestricted Free Agent

Position: Shooting Guard
Age: 29 (6/5/1987)
Slash Line: .399/.337/.848
Season Averages: 18.2 MPG, 9.7 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.8 SPG, 1.5 3PM

There’s a reality that New York Knicks fans must embrace: with minimal cap space comes minimal opportunity. The Knicks have already built a starting lineup worth discussing, and will invest more money in re-signing key contributors.

That makes a low-cost player such as Marcus Thornton a potential per-dollar value signing to consider.

Thornton struggled from 3-point range in 2015-16, but he’s been a respectable 3-point shooter throughout his career. He’s averaged 1.6 3-point field goals on 35.9 percent shooting through seven NBA seasons, which implies he can excel in the right role.

He’s made at least 100 3-point field goals in four different seasons, and converted 91 in 2015-16 on two teams that lived in ISO: the Houston Rockets and Washington Wizards.

The Knicks promise to have better structure than Houston or Washington did during the 2015-16 season. Rather than creating in isolation, Thornton would work off-ball in a motion offense that’d enable him to space the floor and attack closeouts.

must read: Deep sleepers to consider in free agency

Regardless of which player New York targets, all five of these shooters would help the Knicks with the vital task of spacing the floor.