The New York Knicks have had an extremely disappointing season. They are currently 28-39 and sit in 12th place in the Eastern Conference. The veterans on the team have taken a step back from the 2020-21 season and the signing of Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier have not worked out as the Knicks would have hoped as they have shut Walker down and are likely to trade him this offseason. However, I do not feel like all hope is lost for the Knicks, their young players are good, led by RJ Barrett who is having a breakout season. The Knicks have a big offseason ahead of them to try and right the ship heading into the 2022-23 season.
Last offseason the Knicks signed a bunch of players to tradable contracts. Derrick Rose, Nerlens Noel, and Alec Burks were all signed to 2 year contracts with a 3rd year team option, Kemba Walker was signed to a 2 year deal, and Evan Fournier was signed to a 3 year contract with a 4th year team option. These contracts are all very tradable and I think the Knicks will make some trades this summer. One option is to trade for John Wall’s expiring contract. You could acquire Wall and Bruno Fernando from the Rockets in exchange for Kemba, Burks, Noel, and Fournier. The Knicks need a point guard and also to clear up some roster spots for younger guys, this accomplishes that. They could also try and get Eric Gordon from Houston but he is going to be more expensive on a draft compensation side as opposed to Wall. They could call the Pacers about Malcolm Brogdan, they could ask the Hornets about Gordon Hayward, or they could even ask Portland about Damian Lillard (Portland will say no). They have the picks, the young players, and the contracts to trade for any player.
Let’s talk about some of the young players. Mitchell Robinson will be an unrestricted free agent and the Knicks need to keep him. Robinson, who missed most of the 2020-21 season due to injury, has had a really nice season averaging 8.4 points and 8.7 rebounds in 60 games played. Miles (Deuce) McBride was a second round pick and has been good for New York, when coach Tom Thibodeau gives him the chance to play. He is more of a defensive player who finds the right spot to be all the time. Quentin Grimes is a good 3 point shooter, 40% on the season, who is only in his rookie season. Immanuel Quickley has taken a step back in his second season. His points per game is down, his field goal percentage is down, his turnovers per game are up, and his 3 point percentage is down. I still think Quickley is a good player who will have a good NBA career but he has not been the same player he was his rookie year. Jericho Sims is a really active big who I think has a chance to be a good NBA player. Obi Toppin is another really active player who is a high flier, the dunk contest champion, who has good potential to help the Knicks in the future. Cam Reddish is a good player, who can really play offense, he needs to improve his defensive intensity but that guy can really score from anywhere and is a big part of the Knicks future. The big question is about RJ Barrett.
Barrett has broken out over the last month, with a 36 point game against the Lakers in LA on ABC and a 46 performance against the Heat, both were Knicks losses. He is blossoming even through the Knicks struggles and looks like a real building block for the Knicks. The issue is he is due a contract extension this summer and might want a 5 year max extension, the question becomes are the Knicks willing to pay it? I would not give Barrett a max, he has not proven that he can be great on a constant basis and $184 million is a lot of money to commit to a player you are not totally sure on. I would use the Julius Randle extension as a base point if I were the Knicks which was 4yrs/$117 million. It might get a little above that but I think a 4yr/$120 million contract is something I would be comfortable paying Barrett.
The Knicks have had a brutal season but I do not think they are in a bad spot. Barrett seems to be unlocking the potential the Knicks hoped he would, Randle is still a good player no matter what Twitter or the New York media tells you, and they have a lot of flexibility with good contracts, young players that they can use in trades, and all of their picks including a lottery pick this summer. The Knicks have had a rough year, but I really believe that Leon Rose and Scott Perry are leading them in the right direction.
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