Bradley Beal just potentially did the New York Knicks an under-the-radar favor. By planning to join the Los Angeles Clippers after agreeing to a buyout with the Phoenix Suns, he is taking another contender with extra money to spend off the board—and increasing the odds New York can bag a useful free agent on the ultra-cheap.
The Clippers are one of the last really good teams with more than minimum money to burn on the open market. They are now committing what remains of their mid-level exception to Beal. This is fantastic news for the Knicks.
Guerschon Yabusele took less in his contract so the team could peddle a minimum salary for someone with more than two years experience. That’s a big deal. It is the difference between pitching Al Horford, Chris Boucher, De’Anthony Melton, Amir Coffey, or other experienced names, and having to default to a wild card with fewer than two seasons under his belt, like Las Vegas Summer League standout Kevin McCullar Jr.
Yes, there are other could-be contenders with more money to spend. And there are even more that can offer just as much as the Knicks. But every year, when the free-agency dust settles, there are always a few names who slip through the cracks, and sign minimum deals that make you double-take. New York is now better positioned to capitalize on those opportunities.
A talented free agent could fall into the Knicks’ lap
The number of available free agents who can still make an impact is pretty high. Horford, Boucher, Melton, Coffey, Chris Paul, Cody Martin, Russell Westbrook, Gary Payton II, Ben Simmons—the list goes on. Not all of these names will have north-of-minimum money at their disposal as the summer progresses.
Horford and Paul may be the only exceptions. New York doesn’t necessarily need them after adding Yabusele and Jordan Clarkson. Though, to be clear, Horford remains a great fit if his presumed agreement with the Golden State Warriors ends up falling through.
The Knicks have already been linked to some of these remaining names. A couple are clearly bad fits for the roster. (Cough, Westbrook, cough.) But others are more than just late-July dregs.
Beal’s Clippers decision could help fill Knicks’ biggest roster need
New York’s final addition would ideally come on the wing. That part of the rotation remains pretty thin after OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart. Pacome Dadiet isn’t ready, and No. 51 pick Mohamed Diawara needs time to marinate before he can make good on the fairly spot-on OG Anunoby comparisons.
It just so happens the addition of Beal all but guarantees Coffey won’t be returning to the Clippers. His future in Los Angeles was already in doubt, and it will be even harder for him to crack the rotation following the addition of another perimeter player.
No, Coffey isn’t a sexy name. But he would provide excellent value at the minimum. The Clippers liberally used him to defend positions 1 through 4, he can knock down threes, and there’s some juice left to squeeze on his attacks off closeouts.
This isn’t to imply the Knicks must enter Coffey-or-bust mode. Winding up with Boucher—a floor-spacing big with shot-blocking chops—would be an equally large, if not larger, coup. Melton can guard up and nail threes if he’s healthy. Getting Horford would be highway robbery. A healthy Martin is worth a flier.
No matter who the Knicks ultimately sign, the chances of them getting way more bang for their buck just improved by a not-insignificant margin with Beal heading to the Clippers.