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NY Knicks: Projecting the roster with Chris Paul and Fred VanVleet

By Jeffrey Bellone

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 05: Chris Paul #3 of the Los Angeles Clippers is guarded by Fred VanVleet #23 of the Toronto Raptors during a preseason game at Staples Center on October 5, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 05: Chris Paul #3 of the Los Angeles Clippers is guarded by Fred VanVleet #23 of the Toronto Raptors during a preseason game at Staples Center on October 5, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 11: Isaiah Stewart #33 of the Washington Huskies reacts after scoring against the Arizona Wildcats during the first round of the Pac-12 Conference basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 11, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

The rest of the Knicks bench

To review, in the hypothetical scenario where the Knicks trade for Chris Paul and unload Julius Randle in a salary cap clearing move to sign Fred VanVleet this offseason, the core of the 2020-21 roster would center around Paul, VanVleet, RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson. New York would then need to rely on several young players and veterans on relatively cheap deals to round out the rest of the bench.

Another avenue available to Rose to add a complementary piece is using the Room Mid-Level Exception, which the Knicks would gain by dropping far enough below the cap to sign VanVleet. At at starting salary around $5 million, in the pandemic-impacted market, they might be able to find a decent player.

New York also has two draft picks outside of the lottery: 27th and 38th. Could an energetic big like Washington’s Isaiah Stewart find his way onto the roster? The Knicks have also been linked to wings RJ Hampton and Patrick Williams, although it’s not clear if either will be available by the time they pick again in the first round.

It’s possible they keep Reggie Bullock on the books at a relatively cheap rate of $4.2 million, but that will depend on how much cap space they would need to sign VanVleet, if that is in fact their intended goal. The same could be said of Damyean Dotson, but if they add two guards and keep Dennis Smith Jr., under that hypothetical scenario, New York would need more depth at the forward position.

NBA Mock Draft with Knicks picking 8th. dark. Next

Ironically, there is a path for the Knicks to add Chris Paul and Fred VanVleet while having a roster that is mostly made up of players under the age of 24. In some ways, investing so much in two players limits their ability to sign veterans on mid-level deals who would get in the way of the young players developing—sound familiar? It sounds like the Knicks would be skipping steps by acquiring two veteran guards, but they could theoretically do so while maintaining their commitment to their best young players.

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