The NBA Trade Deadline has come and gone and the NY Knicks were pretty passive, to say the least.
There was worry about a trade potentially messing up the team’s chemistry and that’s a solid enough reason for them not to make any splashy deals if you ask me.
They did make one move that sent Austin Rivers to Oklahoma City and Ignas Brazdeikis to Philadelphia and in return received Terrance Ferguson, Vincent Poirier who was cut shortly after, and two 2nd round picks, one this year which was the Knicks’ pick to begin with and another protected 2nd in 2024.
Other than that, the Knicks remained disciplined at the deadline.
As previously mentioned, Vincent Poirier was cut soon after the acquisition, matching a similar Knicks’ tenure that of Ed Davis (haha).
As they say, Once a Knick, Always a Knick.
Who should the NY Knicks sign out of the free agency pool?
The roster move freed up a spot at the end of the Knicks’ bench that could potentially be filled by a number of free agents.
I’m sure the move was made so that the Knicks would be able to acquire a player that’s bought out, but if they have no luck there, I have a few ideas of what they can possibly do.
The way I see it, you have Frank Ntilikina who could act as either the 3rd string point guard or shooting guard, Terrence Ferguson is the SG or SF, Knox is the SF or PF, and then Taj Gibson is the center.
This means the Knicks could look to sign a point guard, shooting guard, or power forward in free agency to round out the roster.
Here are a few options the Knicks could take a look at.
NY Knicks’ Free Agency Target #1 – Kyle Korver
A former player of Coach Thibodeau’s, Kyle Korver played under Thibs from 2010 until 2012 with the Chicago Bulls.
Korver has been reluctant to confirm whether he’s interested in playing basketball in the NBA anymore.
In an interview with USA Today earlier this year, Korver was asked: “To what extent have you had talks about signing with an NBA team this season?”
"Korver responded with – “I’m not sure. I’ve talked to a few teams about it. Coming out of the bubble, I believe in honoring the game. I believe you honor the season with a good offseason. Coming out of the bubble with the quick turnaround, I didn’t feel I really did that. So I don’t want to cheat the game. If I want to go play, I want to go play well. I haven’t signed any paperwork. My wife asks me this question every day. It’s one I have a hard time finding my exact words for. So I haven’t signed paperwork yet. I’ve enjoyed being with my family, and it’s been a challenging season across the board for the league and for the players. But we’ll see. I don’t know.”"
Korver did just turn 40 years of age back on March 17th, so hanging it up is definitely an option.
He is an elite 3-point marksman and could really help the Knicks come playoff time if he were to find a way into the rotation and get some minutes.
Kyle Korver is one of my personal favorite players of all time and would love an opportunity to watch him play for my favorite team.
NY Knicks’ Free Agency Target #2 – Isaiah Thomas
A former MVP candidate from the 2016-17 season, I’m not sure if there has ever been a player that has had as much of a falling from grace as Isaiah Thomas.
While he has proven that he can still score in the NBA, because of his size he’s a major defensive liability for whatever team he’s on.
Now, if he were to be the 4th point guard on the team behind Payton, Rose, and Quickley, the level of talent he would be going up against would be far inferior to him.
Injuries definitely contributed to his downfall but he has recently undergone hip surgery in an attempt to fix his ailments and claims to be as healthy as ever before.
Thomas looked great when playing for Team USA in the FIBA America qualifiers back in February.
He put up a stat line of 19 points, 2 assists, 4 rebounds, and shot a massive 56% from 3 point range on 9 attempts against The Bahamas just a month ago.
Still, just 32 years of age, the same age as New York’s 6th-man Derrick Rose, Thomas may still be able to contribute at the NBA level.
I personally just like the idea of the Knicks loading up with as many veterans who have playoff experience to help guide this young Knicks’ roster when they inevitably make the playoffs (here’s hoping).
Having a former league MVP and a player who was a major MVP candidate just a few years ago on the same team can’t hurt either.
NY Knicks’ Free Agency Target #3 – Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson would come in and be a high-energy guy for the Knicks.
He has always prided himself on his defense, a calling card for any Tom Thibodeau target, RHJ realistically should be on an NBA roster.
Still just 26 years old, the main reason why he is a free agent is that he cannot shoot to save his life.
Has a lot of trouble scoring the basketball in general.
He’s the size of a prototypical shooting guard in the NBA at 6’6, but with a career 3-point percentage of 21% on very few attempts per game, he’s forced into playing a frontcourt role not fitting of his body type.
Regardless, he makes due and can pretty much guard anyone 1-4 and can even guard smaller centers when the opponent plays a bit smaller.
I believe he would fit in nicely as the 3rd string power forward for the Knicks in between Kevin Knox and Taj Gibson.
I couldn’t see him getting much playing time as he would most likely be the 14th or 15th man on the team, but he’s a 5-year veteran and can suit up and defend at a high level if ever necessary.
NY Knicks’ Free Agency Target #4 – Emmanuel Mudiay
ONCE A KNICK, ALWAYS A KNICK! MAYBE EVEN A SECOND TIME AROUND!
Emmanuel Mudiay was drafted back in 2015 as the 7th pick of the infamous Kristaps Porzingis draft.
With the 4th pick, Mudiay was definitely a target of mine that year as he was viewed as a very raw player with boatloads of potential.
Things just never seemed to crystalize for the Congolese-American professional basketball player.
As many of us know, he did have a bit of a breakout season with the Knicks back in the 2018-2019 season. The Knicks opted to not bring him back after that year.
Mudiay put up nearly 15 points, 4 assists, and a bit over 3 rebounds per game that season.
His real downfalls were his efficiencies as he shot 44% from the field and 33% from deep.
I was definitely sad to see him go as I thought he was just scratching the surface of his potential with the Knicks, but apparently, it was more so an increase in opportunity over actual progress and development.
Again, it couldn’t hurt to bring him in and have him be a point guard off the very end of the bench.
To be honest, I am not sure how much better Elfrid Payton is today over Emmanuel Mudiay based on skill sets alone, but Thibs has a lot of love for Payton and continues to trot him out as the starter night-in and night-out.