New York Knicks: Tim Hardaway Jr. signing reveals flawed front office

The current New York Knicks administration learned nothing from the past by signing Tim Hardaway Jr. to a massive offer sheet.

Well, it’s official: Tim Hardaway Jr. will be making his return to the New York Knicks.

After signing an offer sheet on Thursday, July 6, reports emerged that the Atlanta Hawks have no interest in matching the massive contract for their restricted free agent.

Shortly thereafter, the Knicks officially announced the deal.

The Knicks were on the verge of a quiet summer. They appeared content with letting their free agents walk, tearing down the veteran contracts, and starting to build a franchise from scratch.

The signing of Hardaway Jr. changed that vision.

The most obvious issue is the reported contract: four years, $71 million. If the figures look familiar, it’s because they are almost identical to the deal Joakim Noah signed with the team last year.

Different players at different career stages, but Noah burned the Knicks with an injury-ravaged year—his worst in the NBA.

Included is a 15 percent trade kicker—a similar clause to what’s making it nearly impossible for New York to move Carmelo Anthony.

Also included is a player option for the fourth year. This reveals a lack of salary cap understanding from the front office. The cap jumped greatly last season due to the new TV deal kicking in. Over the next few seasons, however it will stabilize, making the contracts signed over the past two years look outrageous.

If Hardaway Jr. doesn’t develop into an All-Star, he will almost certainly accept the option to the tune of roughly $17.75 million.

Beyond the troubling contract, there’s some confusion as to what kind of player the Knicks are getting. Hardaway’s 2016-17 campaign is often categorized as a breakout season—and if you look at his scoring, it was. 14.5 points per game is nothing to laugh at.

The advanced statistics paint a different picture, though.

His free throw and three-point percentages were both below his rookie-year levels. His defensive rating was a respectable 103.1, but it was down (as well as his net rating) from the previous year; although he admittedly played less minutes and fewer games in 2015-16.

Turnovers were also at a career-high.

So are the Knicks getting someone they can build around? Or are they just getting a stopgap shooting guard who will tie up nearly 20 percent of the team’s finances annually?

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At 25, there’s still room for improvement. But the signing of Tim Hardaway Jr. proves that the New York Knicks front office still lacks a proper financial plan moving forward.