New York Knicks: Five reasons to exercise Frank Ntilikina’s team option
1. The gap to 2021
The future is always highlighted in the NBA, with long-term free agency plans as a focus. This happened throughout the 2018-19 season, as the lead-up to Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler and other All-Stars hitting the open market took over in-game conversation.
The New York Knicks were at the forefront, given their 17-65 record and the Kristaps Porzingis trade that pushed cap-space flexibility.
Well, no stars signed this summer, but the team constructed contracts for seven players that can either clear the books in 2020 or 2021. The former’s free-agency pool is bleak, with a potentially-returning-to-the-Lakers Anthony Davis as the sole headliner. Draymond Green‘s contract was set to expire, before he took a multi-year extension to stay with the Golden State Warriors.
What does this all mean for Frank Ntilikina? The Knicks have no big names to set their sights on in free agency and can wait for 2021, when they will have space for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and others in this historic class. If they want to wait, then there is no reason to clear money beforehand and let Ntilikina walk a year early.
If anything, the Knicks can establish if the third-year pro is a viable part of those plans, with four years on his NBA resume at that point. In between, though, without any rush, the organization takes as much time necessary to evaluate and watch him develop alongside Knox, Robinson, RJ Barrett and the 2020 draft-class rookies.
Next. Three predictions for Frank Ntilikina in 2019-20. dark
Ntilikina belongs in the New York Knicks’ plans through 2020-21. At $6.17 million, that is just a fraction of the upcoming payroll situation and too little to move on from, when he is still a young piece to the team.