The NY Knicks dished out some sizeable deals as free agency began on Monday evening when they signed Evan Fournier and Derrick Rose to multi-year contracts.
Fournier and Rose weren’t the only players New York inked — they also re-signed Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel, both to 3-year deals.
NY Knicks: Contract details for Evan Fournier and Derrick Rose
Let’s start with Evan Fournier. Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news with the Evan Fournier contract.
The deal will be for 4 years, and worth “as much as” 78 million – an average of 19.5 million per year.
The key thing to note in the contract is that the 4th year of the deal is a team option. The NY Knicks will have the power to decide if they want to keep Fournier when that 4th year comes along.
Expectations were that Fournier would get around 18-20 million per year, so the Knicks got him at market value. The salary, quality of player, and option on the deal also make Fournier a very tradeable asset down the line, should the team feel like a worthwhile upgrade for a superstar is on the table.
One of the best wings available, Fournier immediately brings a level of facilitating, ball-handling, and shot creation that was absent from the Knicks roster in 2020-21. His 6’7 size makes him an exciting fit in between RJ Barrett and Julius Randle.
Adrian Wojnarowski also reported Derrick Rose’s deal — a 3-year deal worth 43 million.
I wrote earlier in the week about how the Knicks could not afford a drop-off in point guard talent from Derrick Rose, and now, they retain the veteran guard who was so important to their success last season. There is an important note about Rose’s deal that was reported by Mike Vorunkov of The Athletic:
Knicks *could* sign Derrick Rose to the reported 3-year, $43 million contract if they want to retain him with their Early Bird Rights. They could give him a $43.6 million deal over 3 years with those rights, which would allow them to sign him last and keep spending before then.
— Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) August 3, 2021
Essentially, the NY Knicks could use the cap space that was used to sign Rose and spend that on other players, while still signing Rose and going over the cap.
These details matter, as Rose’s early bird rights allow New York to potentially spend more money on other free agents. Stay tuned for more updates…