Daily Knicks
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Proposing the New York Knicks’ 2022 dream offseason

By Max Hoover

ORLANDO, FL - APRIL 3: Head Coach Tom Thibodeau of the New York Knicks addresses the media before the game against the Orlando Magic at the Amway Center on April 3, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL - APRIL 3: Head Coach Tom Thibodeau of the New York Knicks addresses the media before the game against the Orlando Magic at the Amway Center on April 3, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /
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New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns, Deandre Ayton
Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) – New York Knicks /

Knicks sign and trade for Deandre Ayton

This article was titled “dream” offseason, so let’s do a bit of dreaming, shall we?

There are rumors that Deandre Ayton is not well-liked by Suns head coach Monty Williams.  On top of that, The Athletic recently reported (subscription required) that Ayton is likely to play somewhere other than Phoenix next season. The Suns’ stubbornness to spend money could be the Knicks’ gain.

Surely New York couldn’t land both Brunson and Ayton in the same offseason? Oh, contraire mon frere. The path may not be probable, but it is plausible. So, how would they get there?

They would make the same decisions for Arcidiacono, Gibson, and the Knox trade exception, for starters. As a reminder, that gets the Knicks to $18.636 million in cap space. Unfortunately, that’s not enough to sign either Ayton or Brunson outright.

However, if New York can find folks to take Burks and Noel into their cap space and not take any salaries back (i.e., trade them for future second-round picks), that cap room figure jumps to $37.836 million. In addition, the number jumps to $42.336 million in spendable money this summer if they waive and stretch Walker.

The Knicks could then execute the same sign-and-trade for Brunson from the previous slide, leaving them with $33.967 million, which is enough to max out Ayton with some pocket change left over to sign someone to a veteran minimum deal. However, the Suns likely would not let Ayton walk for nothing. That’s where the Robinson cap hold comes into play.

In this swing for the fences scenario, the Knicks’ rotation could look like this:

PG: Brunson/Quickley

SG: Fournier/Ivey

SF: Barrett/Grimes

PF: Toppin/Reddish

C: Ayton/Sims

Rest of bench: Len, McBride, Williams (two-way), and a vet minimum guy

If you are a “play the kids” fan, you’d love this approach. New York would enter next year with a young core of Barrett, Brunson, and Ayton. With Burks, Noel, Rose, and Walker all gone, Thibodeau would have no choice but to build his rotations around the young guys on this team. The second unit also has the potential to be a real hoot.

Three years from now, when other teams in the league have aged out of contention, the Knicks could be poised to take a top spot.

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