The Knicks still don't know who will be coaching them in the 2025-26 season. Whoever that is could be a deciding factor on any major changes to the roster or starting lineup. That said, regardless of who the next head coach of the Knicks is, there are depth concerns that need to be addressed. Some of those concerns could be addressed in the form of veteran guard Spencer Dinwiddie, according to a recent article from The Athletic.
Beyond just a lack of depth, the Knicks lack players capable of handling the ball or running an offense, aside from Jalen Brunson, of course. Cameron Payne will likely be out the door after his role was diminished in the playoffs before he was removed from the rotation entirely. There are rumblings that the veteran duo of Landry Shamet and Delon Wright could return, but if they don't, the Knicks will need to set their sights elsewhere.
That is where Dinwiddie could become an option. The seasoned veteran just wrapped up his 11th year in the NBA, appearing in 79 games for the Dallas Mavericks.
Cap limitations
The Knicks are going to have to get creative with how they spend this summer. They will likely have a taxpayer midlevel exception of roughly $5.7 million to use. After that, however, they will need to fill out their roster with veteran minimum deals in much the same way they did last season.
Last season, Dinwiddie averaged 11 points, 4.4 assists, and 2.6 rebounds per game. He has never been known as a knockdown shooter, and last season was no exception, as Dinwiddie shot just 41.6 percent from the field and 33.4 percent from three.
While Dinwiddie won't come in and fix the Knicks' 3-point volume concerns or transform the offense, he is certainly capable of running an offense during minutes that Brunson sits. Last season, he averaged 41.6 passes per bad pass turnover, according to league tracking data.
For comparison, that puts him just above Brunson, who was at 39.9. Now that shouldn't suggest that Dinwiddie is a better option to run an offense than Brunson; clearly, he isn't. It does, however, show that he is fairly secure with the ball in his hands, which was an issue for the Knicks during the Eastern Conference Finals.
Other names to watch
Other guards who are poised to become free agents that the Knicks could plausibly have conversations with include Tyus Jones, Dennis Schroder, Luke Kennard, and Malcolm Brogdon.
It is likely that Jones and Schroder could command more than the taxpayer midlevel exception. Kennard would help with both secondary creation as well as 3-point shooting, while Brogdon is a proven veteran who is only a couple of years removed from winning the league's Sixth Man of the Year award.