Who in the Northwest division could help improve the New York Knicks’ roster next season?
As the New York Knicks finally get back to work through voluntary team workouts, the front office has important decisions to make about how the roster will look for the 2020-21 season, whenever it does finally arrive.
There are several players on non-guaranteed contracts – Taj Gibson, Wayne Ellington, Elfrid Payton, Reggie Bullock – and team options (Bobby Portis, Theo Pinson) who could find new homes next year.
New York can create close to $45 million in cap space depending on which of their own veteran pieces they bring back. In summary, team president Leon Rose will have plenty of money to spend in a tight offseason market where most teams are either over the cap or will limit their spending due to shrinking revenues as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
In previewing free agency, we are going through each division in the NBA to try to identify one potential target from each team for the Knicks to sign. Not every club has a suitable option, so sometimes we are forced to get creative, but reviewing each team’s roster provides an interesting look at the players who are available and could help the Knicks.
New York will use the upcoming draft to add as many as three rotation pieces to their roster. They have three picks within the first 38 selections. While the draft class does not have the greatest top-end talent, there should be players with potential available at each spot where the Knicks select.
Not every hole on the roster can be filled through the draft. The Knicks are in need of a point guard, a forward who can shoot, and an overall talent upgrade to help their young players develop in a competitive environment.
Let’s take a look at the free agent options from the NBA’s Northwest division.
Potential Knicks free agent targets: Jerami Grant, Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets still have work to do in the NBA Playoffs. After shocking the world with an upset of the Los Angeles Clippers, they are currently in a Western Conference Finals showdown with the Los Angeles Lakers.
However, once the offseason does finally arrive, they have some decisions to make on their roster. Assuming a flat cap ($109 million), they only have about $13 million in cap space after factoring in the guaranteed contracts of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, Will Barton, Michael Porter Jr., Vlatko Cancar, and PJ Dozier.
That means they have limited space to add to their core 4-5 players.
In looking at the players who are set to become free agents, the most intriguing is Jerami Grant. While depressed league revenues should tighten the free agent market, it seems logical to expect Grant to be one of the few veterans who decides to decline his player option (at $9.35 million). He indicated that he was leaning against picking up the option earlier this summer.
The 26-year-old forward has turned into a starter for the Nuggets in the playoffs, and with Paul Millsap and Mason Plumlee likely departing, he could be a priority for them to bring him back; however, they will be limited in exceeding the cap to retain him, only owning his early-Bird rights.
Grant fits the bill for the Knicks as a young forward who can stretch the floor – he shot 38.9 percent from three this past season – and provide versatility in their lineup on defense. While he will be looking for a raise on his player option amount, he shouldn’t break the bank. And he would be a welcome improvement over Julius Randle (assuming the Knicks find a way to move on from him) next season.
Potential Knicks free agent targets: Jordan Clarkson, Utah Jazz
The player everybody wants to become a Knick is likely going to sign an extension in Utah this offseason: Donovan Mitchell. But since that extension won’t officially kick in until 2021-22, the Jazz should have a little bit of breathing room to operate as a team over the cap but below the luxury tax threshold and with Bird rights to retain their top free agents.
For the Knicks, there aren’t any realistic options for targets in free agency, unless you are excited about the idea of bringing Emmanuel Mudiay back to New York. Which I suppose you might be after I mention the other option that is Jordan Clarkson. The 28-year-old became a key bench piece for Utah after arriving from Cleveland last season. He averaged over 15 points per game while shooting 36 percent from deep during his time with the Jazz.
Utah has Clarkson’s Bird rights, so they can exceed the cap to re-sign him, and could be motivated to do so. However, it might also make sense to let him walk so Utah can maintain long-term cap flexibility as they consider extensions for both Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.
I don’t think the Knicks would look to add Clarkson this offseason. He is a little old for their rebuild window. And while he adds shooting, they could use their cap dollars to attract shooting at other positions of need, rather than at shooting guard. Clarkson doesn’t do enough at point to merit bringing him in for an upgrade there.
Since Mike Conley will surely exercise his $34.5 million player option and there aren’t any other free agent options to speak of, we highlight Clarkson, realizing he is far from an ideal target.
Potential Knicks free agent targets: Carmelo Anthony, Portland Trail Blazers
This is an easy one. If Knicks fans had their way, Carmelo Anthony would return for one last glorious run in New York. After recently being reminded that Kevin Durant didn’t want the spotlight of playing at Madison Square Garden, Anthony represents the last star player who embraced what it meant to play for the Knicks. He wanted the challenge. Perhaps he would embrace the challenge of playing a different role as a veteran shooter on a team trying to develop a young roster and return to respectability.
Anthony found a home in Portland last season after spending several months out of the league. He helped them reach the playoffs in the bubble with one of his patented clutch shots. He later indicated he hopes to return to the Blazers.
But don’t rule out the Knicks yet! With his former agent, Leon Rose, running things at MSG, anything is possible. New York has been linked to Chris Paul in trade rumors. Bringing Paul to the Big Apple could be the bait that attracts Anthony to return.
Adding Anthony wouldn’t cost much in terms of salary. The question is whether veteran additions of Paul and Anthony would help the Knicks develop their cornerstone pieces in RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson, along with young players such as Frank Ntilikina, Kevin Knox, and Dennis Smith Jr.
It’s reasonable to assume some of those players (perhaps Knox or DSJ) would be lost in a Chris Paul trade, but if the majority of young pieces remain, Rose must decide if their development is aided by playing alongside veteran pieces who can help them win games.
Potential Knicks free agent targets: Evan Turner, Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota is another team that doesn’t offer many realistic targets for the Knicks. Technically, Aaron Brooks is a free agent, but he hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since 2018 and was last seen playing in Australia before tearing his left Achilles. That leaves veteran guard Evan Turner, who played only 19 games for Atlanta this past season before being traded and riding the bench in Minnesota.
If New York is looking for a veteran player with playoff experience who won’t cost them much as a free agent signing, I suppose Turner fits the mold. The 6-foot-7 former lottery pick offers versatility as someone who can either play point or along the wing. He could be a good voice to have in the locker room.
Unfortunately, he doesn’t offer much else. He is not a three-point threat, his defense is not good enough to keep him on the floor, and he does little to open up your offense. Turner is best suited in a limited role on a team that already has a complete roster where he can rebound the ball, offer lineup flexibility, and play stable minutes during high intensity games.
The Knicks are looking for players who can move the needle forward next season, either to help them win games or to create lineups that facilitate the development of their young players. Turner doesn’t really do that. I don’t see the Knicks targeting any of the Wolves’ free agents.
Potential Knicks free agent targets: Danilo Gallinari, Oklahoma City Thunder
In contrast to the Wolves on the previous slide, the Thunder have several players who could be offseason targets for the Knicks. But since this piece focuses on free agents, we will leave the Chris Paul discussion for another day, and highlight former Knick Danilo Gallinari.
New York desperately needs shooting at the forward position and Gallo would give them exactly that. If you are a Knicks fan who remembers watching him awkwardly roam the Madison Square Garden floor as a rookie, it’s hard to believe he is already 32-years-old. But Gallinari is all grown up and he has become one of the most lethal three-point shooting big men in the league.
After finishing 5th in three-point percentage in 2018-19 (43.3 percent), he fell off slightly this past season, but still shot over 40 percent (40.6). For someone who plays the majority of his minutes at power forward, he ranks among the 90th percentile for shooting bigs.
New York needs a player like Gallinari to play alongside Mitchell Robinson, whose range is limited to the five feet surrounding the rim. Gallinari can open the lane for attacking players like RJ Barrett while giving Robinson freedom to crash the rim and clean-up on misses.
The Knicks will have plenty of cap space to allure Gallinari back to New York. The question will be whether he wants to join a rebuilding team at this point in his career, and whether the Knicks want to commit long-term money to an aging shooter with a previous history of injuries. But at the right price, he would be a welcome addition to New York’s roster.