Knicks roundtable: The best free-agent signing of 2019 offseason

The latest New York Knicks Roundtable looks at the best free-agent signing from the 2019 offseason.

With seven free-agent signings, the New York Knicks spent the offseason redesigning their roster for the 2019-20 NBA season. These players consumed the available $70 million in cap space, and none of them were re-signed from last year’s team.

In the latest offseason roundtable, the Daily Knicks staff looked at who was the best signing of the bunch and their potential outlook for next season:

Jayson Kleinman: Julius Randle, period. The team had a notable gap at power forward, and Randle was one of the best options available that would not cost an arm and a leg. Out of all the signings from this summer, he’s the one I can see staying with the team long-term

Matt Budkofsky: Julius Randle. Randle is undoubtedly an upgrade over last year’s combo of Noah Vonleh and Lance Thomas. Randle will provide the Knicks with much-needed scoring and will also help chip in on the glass. He’s on a team-friendly deal and will be a focal point of the team as it continues through the rebuild. The biggest question mark is how he and Mitchell Robinson can co-exist on the defensive end of the floor.

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Teresa Powe: When the Knicks signed Julius Randle they signed a player, who should fit well with our younger players. Randle gets to the paint with no problem, can rebound and block. His 2018-19 season with the Pelicans was the best of his career, with 21 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists. He should work very well within David Fizdale’s system. With the added bonus of experience, Randle will be a great mentor for Knox.

Anirudh Subramanian: The best free-agent signing is Julius Randle. I have already talked about it but he has a chance to become an All-Star-caliber player. He has improved his game each summer adding the three-point shot last year, really took his game to another level. I think we will look back at this contract and wonder how did the Knicks get him for so cheap.

Michael Petreski: It’s a toss-up between Elfrid Payton or Marcus Morris. I’d lean towards the latter only because he will be good trade bait near the trade deadline, and if the Knicks choose to go that route, I believe he can get us something valuable in return.

Rhys Smith: Julius Randle, hands down. He is not even 25 years old yet, and he’s coming off of career bests. Better still, he’s only on a three-year deal, with the third year as a team option, for only $63 million, which is a fair price given his talent and upside. It also keeps the Knicks cap space flexible for 2021 if they need. He can either add to their young core moving forward or even be traded as part of a deal for a star in the future. This is a Grade A signing.

Eric Gonzalez: The best signing is Julius Randle. At 24 years old, he’s still relatively young but has experience as an NBA player who has been successful in this league. He will be a huge part of this Knicks team, as he should.

Rob Wolkenbrod: Randle is the easy choice because of his age and skill, but Marcus Morris is an intriguing add. Not only is he a veteran presence, but one that is talented at both ends of the floor. For one season, he is a fine signing.