NY Knicks: 3 offseason point guard upgrade options
By Max Hoover
NY Knicks: The Restricted Free Agent: Lonzo Ball
How does Lonzo Ball fit with the Knicks?
With both bigs and ball handlers, Thibs has a clear type. At each stop along his professional journey, his current one very much included, Thibs point guards have fit a mold.
He wants guys who drive hard to the rim and are looking to shoot first. There’s a reason he has employed Rose every step of the way. And say what you want about Payton, but he absolutely fits that mold.
If your point guard can consistently get to the rim, the defense will collapse and it is kick-out, spot-up city. At that point, you are forcing the opposing team to pick their poison.
Over the past two seasons, admittedly with him spending more time off-ball, Ball’s attempts at the rim have been on a steady decline while his three-point shots have increased. To his credit, though, the decreased number has increased his effectiveness.
On the defensive end of the floor, Ball is a net positive by almost all metrics including, NBA Math’s DPS.
What will it cost the Knicks?
Like both the other players explored in this article, the cost will be the key for Lonzo Ball. To figure out how much it will take to land Ball in restricted free agency, let’s look at a few tangentially related comparisons, both of whom were also former top 3 picks.
D’Angelo Russell is currently on an average salary of 29.3 million per Spotrac. Brandon Ingram is currently on an average salary of 31.6 million.
Each of those players has had more impact on the court than Ball, but this will not be a $15 million steal for the Knicks. It will likely take in the 20-25 million dollar range to pull him away from the Pelicans.
Lonzo Ball would be a nice move that could allow the Knicks to potentially solidify their place in the Eastern Conference standings.