Grading the New York Knicks free agents as the signings continue through the open market.
The New York Knicks opened 2019 NBA Free Agency with $70 million to spend. None of it went to the superstar players, as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving signed with the Brooklyn Nets, but they still added pieces to fill a wide-open roster.
There were needs to surround the group of RJ Barrett, Kevin Knox, Mitchell Robinson and Dennis Smith Jr., and the front office accomplished part of that with most of the available money to spend.
The aftermath is the reaction to these players arriving. While they will not suit up for New York until October’s preseason, their impact, and whether the front office paid a worthwhile amount of money, can be speculated now.
Less than 24 hours into free agency, how do the Knicks’ free agents grade out? Let’s take a look, with updates ahead as players continue to sign:
This was not a superstar signing, but Julius Randle proved to be the New York Knicks’ biggest free-agent acquisition after 6:00 p.m. ET. They gave him a three-year, $63 million contract, with a team option for 2020-21.
Randle seemingly steps in as New York’s starting power forward, playing alongside Mitchell Robinson in the frontcourt. It upgrades this spot, formerly held by Noah Vonleh, Lance Thomas and Luke Kornet in spurts.
Adding over 20 points per game, the Kentucky product will take one of the top scoring spots. Depending on Kevin Knox and RJ Barrett’s respective development, he might be their leading player in the box score. Add eight rebounds per game, and the numbers will look satisfying.
Randle’s outside game is trending up after taking 150 more three-pointers than he ever had in a season in 2018-19. If that continues, the Knicks will have a stretch four that can cause damage at all parts of the court. Trending down, though, is his defense.
The average annual value of $21 million is high, but if considered a two-year pact due to the team option, it is not a long-term commitment for the Knicks to make. They can track his development from age 24 to 26, nearing those prime seasons that usually result in an NBA player’s greatest statistical output.
If Randle takes another step from his New Orleans run, this is a fine signing for the Knicks. It was about the best they could do without signing the superstars, and their unwillingness to pay a max contract to anyone lesser factored in here.
After bolstering the frontcourt with Randle, the New York Knicks snagged Taj Gibson for two years, $20 million, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The average annual value is $10 million, and the second season is a team option.
Presumed to play off the bench, Gibson is a veteran presence for this young frontcourt. Randle, Robinson and Knox are all 25 years old or younger, so this is someone with experience to help them develop, and from winning situations with the Chicago Bulls earlier this decade.
This deal takes Gibson through his age 34 and 35 seasons. His numbers have not tailed off yet, as he can deliver a steady 10 points and six rebounds per game off the bench, spelling Randle and Robinson at over 20 minutes, similar to this past season in Minnesota.
Gibson is the top defensive option off the bench, as well. He can fill in for Robinson’s foul trouble, when Randle is off for one night or in a late-game situation that New York needs a stop.
The dollar figure is somewhat high for this. The Knicks could have potentially signed Noah Vonleh for lesser money, and Gibson is on the wrong side of 30. Father Time catches up at some point, even on a short-term contract like this.
If Gibson declines in his age-34 season, the Knicks can move out of this or even ship him to a contending team that needs talent at the trade deadline. Some value exists, but the season needs to first unfold before that becomes a factor.
Bobby Portis entered free agency eyeing up to $16 million, and the New York Knicks nearly matched it at the end of the open market’s first night. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, both parties agreed to a two-year, $31 million contract. The second season is a team option.
After giving Randle and Gibson a combined average annual value of $31 million, this seemed curious. Portis jumped into a now crowded frontcourt that head coach David Fizdale must work through with playing time. Maybe that becomes a good problem to have if the Knicks win more games than expected.
However, Portis plays a similar game to Randle. The former is not as proficient around the rim, but is more adept to stretch the floor; his three-point percentage has climbed in each season, topping out at 39.3 in 2018-19 with the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards.
Defense, like Randle, is a concern. His career 0.3 blocks per game will not cause excitement, and a 112 Defensive Rating indicates such.
This is a signing for Portis’ offensive output. The question is if that comes off the bench or if the Knicks pair him and Randle as the starters, forcing Robinson to the bench.
Going for Robinson’s defense and Randle’s scoring — plus the money the Knicks gave him — is the intriguing duo to start with. That makes Portis an expensive sixth man. Maybe New York is fine with that, as they had money to spend and overpay players on short-term contracts. This is not the ideal player to lead the bench, but on a roster that will struggle to win 25-to-30 games, they can experiment.
In the middle of the night, the New York Knicks gave Reggie Bullock a two-year, $21 million contract, according to Stadium and The Athletic’s Shams Charania. It has a team option for the second season. This lowered the team’s cap space to $18 million at the time.
It marked the fourth two-year deal given by the front office. Clearly, they have a plan, and cap space will open, again, in the 2021 offseason when another superstar class hits free agency.
With that a long way down the road, the Knicks can look forward to what Bullock brings them now: outside shooting from the backcourt.
New York shot 34 percent on three-pointers in 2018-19, which placed them in the NBA’s bottom five. Part of it attributed to the inconsistencies of Allonzo Trier, Damyean Dotson, Dennis Smith Jr., Frank Ntilikina, Emmanuel Mudiay and even Tim Hardaway Jr. Trier developed as the season progressed, and Dotson still had a 36.8 percentage, but the rest struggled.
Bullock is not a dynamic scorer and can’t solve all the problems, but a career 39.2 percent mark from long distance will help. He does it at a high volume, taking 5.4 outside shots per game over the past two seasons.
If Fizdale wants more floor spacing in the lineup, Bullock is a potential spot starter. Otherwise, he joins a bench mob that likely includes Gibson and Portis. While not a star-studded cast, this is quality depth behind a young lineup.
Per Yahoo’s Vincent Goodwill, the Knicks might not be done with outside scorers, either. They are addressing a clear need, and Bullock is just the start.
The New York Knicks opened free agency with three consecutive signings in the frontcourt, so they followed with back-to-back additions to address the backcourt, which eyed depth for an area of need.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Knicks will sign Wayne Ellington to a two-year, $16 million contract. The second season is a team option. This leaves the front office with about $11 million to spend.
Ellington is the latest addition to bolster New York’s floor-spacing needs. They had few players who provided this last season, let alone anyone who did it consistently. Now, they have two former Tar Heels — the other being Bullock — to work as outside shooters next to Smith and whoever becomes the backup point guard.
Ellington is a career 37.9 percent three-point shooter, so the Knicks know what they are receiving from this 31 year old. He can play off the bench and deepen a group that struggled to make outside shots.
This is another veteran presence for a young Knicks team, as well. Ellington, as this roster’s second-oldest player, brings 10 years of experience to an inexperienced backcourt of Dotson, Smith, Trier and RJ Barrett.
A solid signing overall for the Knicks. Not one that will create a highlight reel, but quality depth for a roster that needed new faces across the board.
With money left to spend and just two roster spots to fill, the New York Knicks used most of that aforementioned cash to sign Elfrid Payton to a two-year, $16 million contract, according to Stadium and The Athletic’s Shams Charania. The second season is a team option.
This solved the question of how the Knicks would fill their point guard depth. They will seemingly let Emmanuel Mudiay, who they did not make a qualifying offer to, walk in free agency after one-plus season.
Payton is the latest short-term pact for New York. It lets them remain flexible for both the 2020 and 2021 offseasons, pending a top free agent shows interest in signing.
On the court, the veteran point guard joins Smith Jr. in a battle for playing time, which is something to watch for in training camp. Ntilikina and Kadeem Allen, for now, are on the roster, too, although the former has yet to show consistent point guard skills and the latter is on a two-way contract.
Payton could start, as well. His salary is higher and his role has rarely seen him take a backseat, whether with the Magic, Pelicans or Suns. Money does not mean everything, of course, as seen with the Knicks’ handling of would-be outgoing players in their “developmental” year.
Payton is known more for his defense and distribution, while Smith is an athletic slasher with bursts of shooting prowess. They could complement each other, but one must show consistency from the field before that comes to fruition.
The risk is low for New York, and it completes their point guard room for 2019-20, for now. Who starts and if any incumbent is on their way out remains to be seen.