With the Knicks’ season being just a few games away from its conclusion, the offseason is closer than most would like to think. This may not be an offseason with major implications for the team’s future, however, there are a few things that need to be addressed.
Fans could be in line for a relatively calm and perhaps boring offseason, however, there are certainly some changes that definitely need to be made, and some players are in need of being brought back.
Who knows what Leon Rose’s master plan is for this upcoming offseason? Regardless, these three things are what Rose should already be working on ahead of the 2022-23 season’s conclusion.
Here are three offseason tasks Leon Rose and the Knicks should already be looking towards accomplishing.
3. Trade Evan Fournier
Many were surprised when Evan Fournier was not traded at this year’s deadline, however, it is more likely than not that Rose was waiting to trade Fournier until this offseason for a couple of reasons.
For starters, Fournier’s value may honestly be higher in the offseason than it currently is because of the way his contract is structured. Fournier’s contract currently only has him guaranteed for the 2023-24 season, as at the end of that year he has a club option that likely any team would decline.
Taking a player in on essentially a one-year deal is a lot more tantalizing of a trade to pursue than a year and a half of said player. While the Knicks likely won’t get much and could potentially still need to attach a pick to any deal involved with Fournier, it’ll probably be much better than a trade made at the deadline.
Even if Rose can’t trade Fournier straight up in a deal, his $18.8 million cap hit can definitely be used as salary filler in a trade for a potential star player. The deal Rose gave Fournier is certainly a bad one and something he likely wants to make up for. If this is the case, hopefully, Rose finally ships Fournier off and saves our eyes from watching him play basketball for the Knicks.