Marcus Smart just took an ideal free-agency target for the New York Knicks off the board. In doing so, he highlighted an issue that could continue biting this team as it looks to add another helpful name that has nothing to do with money—and everything to do with playing time.
Oh, make no mistake, money is absolutely part of the equation. The Knicks only have a veteran’s minimum contract to dangle. They could have not matched the money Smart received from the Los Angeles Lakers after negotiating a buyout with the Washington Wizards, or that Bradley Beal got from the Los Angeles Clippers. Those types of deals (two years, $11 million) went out the window once New York landed Guerschon Yabusele for the bulk of its mini mid-level exception.
Still, we have seen impact players take minimum deals with larger offers on the table before. Just look at what Gary Trent Jr. did with the Milwaukee Bucks last summer. The Knicks could, in theory, capitalize on a similar opportunity now.
Except, as Smart just proved, they probably won’t.
Marcus Smart passed on the Knicks because of playing time
Despite being on New York’s radar, Smart prioritized Los Angeles not just because of money (and sunshine), but also because he wanted a “clearer path to playing time,” according to the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy. What a wild sentiment given how desperate for extra bodies the Knicks’ rotation was last season, right?
Per source, Knicks couldn’t offer the type of role Marcus Smart was looking for https://t.co/6pp5y6IWUU
— Stefan Bondy (@SbondyNBA) July 20, 2025
Well, things change.
New York doesn’t have the deepest team in the NBA, but the top eight of its rotation is basically set. There is the potentially confirmed starting five of Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Mitchell Robinson. Then, after that, the bench has Yabusele, Jordan Clarkson, and Josh Hart.
Anybody taking a discount to land on the Knicks has to believe they’ll usurp at least one of those three names. That’s a tough sell. Hart isn’t disappearing from the rotation so long as he’s on the roster, and New York didn’t burn its best spending tool on Yabusele to not view him as a court-time staple.
Clarkson is the player with the least security. He is pretty good value at the minimum, but he’s patently erratic. His three-point shot has always waxed and waned, and we saw his two-point efficiency plummet over his final two years with the Utah Jazz.
At the same time, Clarkson clearly fits the Knicks’ commitment to juicing their offense under new head coach Mike Brown. He may not be guaranteed a certain number of minutes, but he’s not here, at least as of now, to be a fringe-DNP afterthought.
New York will keep running into this problem with remaining free agents
This issue isn’t going anywhere. Ben Simmons is the perfect example.
Regardless of how you feel about his fit—and it is, in fact, iffy—the Knicks are keeping tabs on him. He also has other options, reportedly drawing interest from the Sacramento Kings, Boston Celtics, and Phoenix Suns. All of those teams have clearer paths to playing time for Simmons.
That won’t change with most other targets. It will hold true for Al Horford, Amir Coffey, Malcolm Brogdon, and Chris Boucher. It could be an issue with bringing back Landry Shamet. Even someone like Cody Martin, if healthy, could find a larger role elsewhere. It certainly applies to anyone like Beal or Smart—higher-profile names coming off buyouts.
To be clear, this is a feature of the Knicks’ offseason, not a bug. They got deeper and, presumably, better without dicing up the core or expending what few assets they have. That’s a good thing!
It is also something that could prevent them from making a discounted splash with their next addition—unless there’s a consolidation trade coming down the pipeline.