Ah, the New York Knicks.
If you're a Knicks fan, it seems like the franchise has been — with the exception of a couple of good seasons — in a 20-year rebuild phase.
The Knicks have a history of overpaying for free agents, then having to wait a few years to clear cap space to make another run at a marquee free agent ... only to miss out and then have to overpay for a mid-level type player.
Wash, rinse, repeat.
Only a year following their first winning season since 2012-13 by claiming the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference and a trip to the playoffs, the Knicks once again regressed back into the lottery this past season. And even that didn't bring much joy to the fanbase as the team traded away the 11th pick, Ousmane Dieng, to the Thunder in a three-team deal with the Hornets.
Julius Randle and RJ Barrett both figure to be on the Knicks' roster next season, so what is the plan for the Knicks this summer, and how much cap room do they have to now make (another) run at a free agent?
MORE: Hornets-Knicks-Pistons trade details
How much cap space do the Knicks have?
The draft-night trade that the Knicks made confused a lot of people. In essence, the move was simply to shed salary and gain some valuable assets (draft picks) in return.
As the draft picks the Knicks got back are all lottery-protected, it's highly unlikely that they are stockpiling them to add players for the future. Rather, it seems like Leon Rose and co. will want to use those in future trades.
Overall, the Knicks now have 11 first-round picks and 11 second-round picks in the next seven years.
Sources: The draft picks that New York acquired from OKC in the No. 11 Ousmane Dieng trade:
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 24, 2022
- 2023 protected 1st rounder via Detroit
- 2023 protected 1st rounder via Washington
- 2023 protected 1st rounder via Denver
By including Kemba Walker's $9.1 million expiring contract to Detroit, and factoring in the (projected) $4.5 million in salary savings from trading Dieng, the Knicks have now given themselves some more cap space to try and lure a free agent such as Jalen Brunson.
According to ESPN's Bobby Marks, the Walker trade on draft night put the Knicks $18 million below the salary cap. To land Brunson, the Knicks would likely need to get roughly $25 million under the cap.
The Mavericks had been favorites to re-sign Brunson as they can offer him the most money with an extra year on the deal, but according to reports, the Knicks are prepared to offer a four-year deal at $100 million, with the promise of more ball-handling responsibility.
To do so, they will need to make some more moves once the free agency period officially opens to free up the necessary room to sign him.
Potential Knicks free agent targets
Jalen Brunson
This is the most obvious one as every move the Knicks have made in recent days indicates they are all in on prying Brunson away from the Mavericks. Not only do the signs point towards them offering him a large deal, but they can make him their starting point guard, too.
It's worth noting that Brunson's father, Rick, was just hired as an assistant coach by the Knicks. Make of that what you will.
Brunson would fill a need for the Knicks at point guard and he showed enough during the first round of the playoffs against the Jazz that he is capable of big performances. When Luka Doncic was sidelined for the first three games of the playoffs against the Jazz, Brunson averaged 32.0 points, 5.3 assists and 5.3 rebounds to carry Dallas to a 2-1 series lead.
As long as Doncic is in Dallas, Brunson will always be the No. 2 point guard.
Mitchell Robinson
Yes, this might not technically be a "free-agent" signing seeing as Robinson is already on the roster, but when he's healthy, he changes the dynamic of the Knicks defensively.
This season, Robinson played the most games in his career (72), averaging 8.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in 25.7 minutes. He also led the league in scoring off of putbacks and was second in second-chance points.
If Robinson walks as an unrestricted free agent this summer, who takes his place? The Knicks currently have Taj Gibson, Nerlens Noel and Jericho Sims on the roster, but none of them are able to provide the shot-blocking and close-range finishing that Robinson does.
Also, it appears that New York is still shopping Noel around to try and get even more room under the cap.
The Knicks have until June 30 to lock up Robinson to an extension, or they would risk losing him in the open market. He would be eligible for a deal worth up to $55.6 million over four years.
Tyus Jones
As we mentioned, the Knicks are in hot pursuit of a point guard.
Derrick Rose will be 34 by the time the next NBA season tips off and given his injury history, he shouldn't have to shoulder the load of carrying this team. He was clearly their best point guard last season when healthy and coach Tom Thibodeau has trust in him.
If the Knicks strike out on Brunson, then a cheaper alternative could be Tyus Jones from the Grizzlies.
Jones was the Grizzlies' backup point guard, but due to Ja Morant missing 25 games this past season, Jones got to start 23 times. In those games, he averaged an impressive 12.7 points, 6.6 assists and 3.2 rebounds.
He's young, reads the game well and, most importantly, he'll come cheaper than a name like Brunson.
Sure, he doesn't have that big-name cache, but Jones would preserve some cap space for the future for the Knicks.
