NY Knicks: Re-visiting the 2019 free agent class one year later
How do the New York Knicks signings from last summer look one year later?
In July 2019, watching the likes of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving skip over a chance to play in the World’s Most Famous Arena was definitely crushing for New York Knicks fans everywhere. Instead, the organization pivoted, and used their cap space to acquire players on relatively short-term contracts to maintain flexibility for future acquisitions.
As we are less than one month away from the start of the 2020 Free Agency period, I thought it would be a good time to pause and reflect on last year’s signings. They say hindsight is 20/20, so with a crystal clear lens, I will evaluate each of the deals inked by since-departed team president Steve Mills and current general manager Scott Perry.
In the spirit of remote learning, I’ll also assign each deal a grade.
Julius Randle: 3 Years, $62.1 Million
Grade: B-
Commentary: After the Knicks struck out on the star-studded upper echelon of the 2019 class, they had a boatload of cash, but no one quite that elite to spend it on. Randle, whom no one will confuse with a go-to guy on a championship contender, did have an impressive second half of the 2018-2019 season with the Pelicans, and was 24 years old at time of signing.
Considering New York’s penchant for acquiring lottery picks who didn’t work out elsewhere (see Dennis Smith, Mario Hezonja, Emmanuel Mudiay, Elfrid Payton, etc), this fell right in line with their prior strategy that maybe a blue chip prospect could flourish at MSG after a few years of NBA experience.
Randle knew that once the top free agents passed on signing with the Knicks, their attention would turn to the former University of Kentucky prospect, a thought which excited him.
"“For me, it was a pretty easy decision,” Randle said via AMNY.com. “Once I knew it was an option for me to be able to come here and play for the Knicks, it was a no brainer for me,” Randle said. “I think since my, like, second year in the league, I think it was my first time playing at MSG, just that feeling of playing at MSG, the excitement. I had no clue what to expect or really knew what I was walking into. That feeling has always, like, kind of stuck with me.”"
Randle’s counting stats last season weren’t bad, averaging 19 points and 9 rebounds, but observers of the team will point to his questionable decision making as a cause for concern (he also averaged a career high 3 turnovers per game). He profiles as the type of player who comes off the bench and demolishes second units on a championship level contender, and it will be interesting to see if new coach Tom Thibodeau decides to reign in Randle’s ballhandling a little bit next year.