NY Knicks Free Agency: The case against DeMar DeRozan

NY Knicks: DeMar DeRozan could hurt the team in the long-term

The 2021 free-agent class is not top-heavy. Similar to the 2020 free agency, there are a lot of solid players – 3rd/4th option on a great team level of players.

A lot of this year’s free agents will come with a high risk, whether it’s injury history (Spencer Dinwiddie, Victor Oladipo) or age (Chris Paul, Kyle Lowry) or even just the simple risk of overvaluing someone (Norman Powell, Lonzo Ball, Evan Fournier, Duncan Robinson).

I actually think DeMar DeRozan can be a good value 2-3 years down the line, but it all depends on his team’s situation. If he’s going to join a championship-contending team, his current player profile screams 6th man.

It’s tough to see DeMar DeRozan starting on a championship team given his lack of off-ball abilities being a bad fit alongside ball-handling stars, but let’s say someone tells him to run the team’s 2nd unit? That’s a future I can see for DeRozan, he could be a constant 6th Man of The Year candidate.

That’s not exactly what the NY Knicks need right now, and that’s not what’s going to happen if they sign DeRozan. If New York shells out money for him, you know he’s starting and playing 35 minutes a game.

It doesn’t mean just mean fewer shots per game for young players like RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, it means less opportunity for them to grow as ball-handlers and playmakers.

There are very few, if any, “risk-free” players for the NY Knicks to pursue on the open market this offseason. Even still, a lot of the names available come with the reward of being a great fit that can boost the Knicks’ all-around offense.

DeRozan is a poor fit for both the team’s offense and the situation of where this Knicks team is in their quest for near-ish-future title contention.

Maybe NY makes a splash or maybe they don’t, but they certainly don’t need to spend money or time on DeMar DeRozan.