4 Defensive specialists the Knicks should consider signing in free agency

1. PF Jae Crowder

The Knicks can kill two birds with one stone by signing Jae Crowder. Not only would he help their defensive issues, but he is also historically an above-average shooter. While his numbers from last year of 43.6% from deep on 3.1 attempts are skewed due to a lack of games played, in his career he’s shot 34.8% from three, which isn’t the worst.

Signing Crowder would really only occur if Leon Rose opted to trade Obi Toppin this offseason. Sadly, that seems like a real possibility at this point. Obviously, Toppin has more upside. However, there is not a single doubt that Crowder is the better fit. If the Knicks can manage to trade Toppin for a player like Buddy Hield and then sign Crowder, the team would easily be pushing for a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference.

Crowder would be a great addition to New York’s culture. His hustle, trash talk, and overall defensive play would mesh perfectly with what the Knicks already have. Whether he signs for the MLE or a cheaper, longer deal, Rose may not want to miss out on bringing Crowder in.

Adding his level of three-point shooting off the bench would bring in some much-needed spacing at the four whenever he is in the game, let alone the much-needed defensive prowess at the position.

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