The Knicks enter free agency with the most cap space in the league and some major holes to fill. With that in mind, Ian Begley of SNY.tv explores some of their potential options on the wing.
Reggie Bullock and Alec Burks both had success playing different roles on the wing for the Knicks during their overachieving year, and there was midseason interest in bringing both back, but following a postseason that exposed the team’s lack of offensive creators and with options like Kelly Oubre, DeMar DeRozan, Will Barton, Duncan Robinson and others available, it’s unclear if the Knicks will want to spend significant money on Bullock and Burks.
We have more from around the Atlantic Division:
- The Knicks are closely watching the Damian Lillard situation, Begley reports. With Lillard reportedly considering his long-term future with the Blazers, and the Knicks employing Lillard’s mentor Johnnie Bryant as an assistant coach, the team is monitoring the All-Star guard in case a deal could be made. Begley writes that the team would also be content building patiently should a trade not materialize.
- Norvel Pelle is looking to stick with the Knicks, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. The 6’10” center joined the team late, but provided a defensive spark off the bench, and was a willing and beloved team cheerleader, writes Berman. One NBA scout interviewed by Berman was impressed with the strides Pelle has made in recent years. “[He] looks like he’s reading angles better when switching on pick-and-rolls,” said the anonymous scout. “He’s avoiding foul trouble that way. We are talking about a guy who was [the] No. 1-ranked center in the country out of high school.”
- Jay King of The Athletic profiles Celtics coach Ime Udoka, and how he found his calling as a coach. Much of the inspiration came from Isiah Thomas when Udoka played for Thomas on the Knicks in the 2005/06 season. “You may not see what your calling is,” Thomas told Udoka. “Your calling is coaching.” It took a long time for Udoka to accept that coaching could be his destiny rather than being an NBA star in his own right.
- Former NBA point guard Damon Stoudamire is a target to join Ime Udoka on the Celtics coaching staff, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Stoudamire was the 2019/2020 WCC Coach of the Year for the Pacific Tigers.
- The Sixers’ draft-night trade of Mikal Bridges to the Suns had a lasting impact on both teams. The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov dives deep into how the trade went down. Vorkunov writes that the Sixers had no intention of trading Bridges when they took him, but Zhaire Smith was tied with Bridges on their board, and when the Suns offered a 2021 Heat unprotected pick, the Sixers felt they couldn’t say no. “If second-round picks are cigarettes in prison,” said one anonymous source interviewed by Vorkunov, “unprotected picks are conjugal visits.”
Rose could demand 2 year $34 million
Burks would demand 2 year $30 million
Bullock could demand 2 year $24 million
Noel 1 year 8m
Payton 1 year 6m
No cap room
If the Knicks want to sign a wing in free agency only one of Burks or Bullock gets signed. Payton is likely gone also
No way any of those players will get that kind of money.
Knicks have nothing of real value to offer in a trade for anyone, much less a super star like Lilliard.
Those are market value
Knicks cap room $57 million
Can only sign 3 free agents
Derrick Rose $12m
Duncan Robinson $22m
Cam Payne $15m
Other players $8m
So Rose goes from 17M to 12M per year just like that in your assessments? Dude, you’re lost.
Sillivan always throws out ridiculous numbers. It’s their thing.
Kezar
Knicks biggest asset is cap room to absorb anyone in the world
An example would be John Wallet
Knicks have tons of cap space, tons of picks and tops of rookie contracts. They literally have exactly what any team would want if they were looking to trade their star player. But go ahead and keep telling yourself the Knicks have nothing to offer. An unprotected 1st round pick from the Knicks alone has a ton of value just based on their past 2 years of incompetence.
Probably why they’re not keeping them all
The Knicks have early bird rights on Rose and Bullock, they could sign them to that much, but they’d be limited on how much they can offer the other 3.
You’re so far off it isn’t even funny.
Knicks, Mavs and Heat need to get rid of their own players to steal free agents from other teams
Is Burks an offensive Marcus Smart for the Knicks? I.e. is he a locker room guy they should pay, or expendable piece. Feel like he had some big games for them this season.
He’s decent, but strictly off the bench and nothing more. 15-20 minutes at most per game.
I’m fine letting him walk, personally. I think Bullock is probably more valuable just because of his D and especially his shooting.
Burks as a combo guard off the bench, I would feel comfortable letting Quickley inherit a bulk of those minutes next season and using the cap space to address other needs.
Burkes, Bullock, Rose are all key bench players. They are backups who can start. They are rotation players. But you can’t overpay for that. All had a solid yr. No no no to Obrue. Rather Powell at SG. To me, I see Knicks making a move on draft night. The player they target will tell us. Who they will sign as a FA. We need 2 starters Scorer/Shooter (SF or SG), and a PG. We can draft one of these.
If they were backups who could start, wouldn’t they be starting? At the very least on other teams? Who apparently weren’t interested in them enough for even bench roles?
Fools.
Dude seriously do you get ball. Every good team needs players who can start at least 10-40 gms a yr. players go down and players need rest. Every good team has 2-3 players who can start .
said one anonymous source interviewed by Vorkunov, “unprotected picks are conjugal visits.”
Oooooo so this is why Brett Brown had six cases of VD. I mean, he’s alright now
However the Sixers are not alright, they suck!
Number 1 seed and I could go on and they suck . ok.
Sixers got screwed on that conjugal visit.
NY needs to stand pat. Robinson will be back. Toppin, RJ, and IQ will be a year old and hopefully able to shoulder more of the burden.
I’d much rather see them give the young guys more run than overpay vets to fill the same minutes.
If Knicks are going after a Star they could try for Beal. Lillard not coming. Does Rose even want to come back? I thinking he’s ring chasing now.
Spot on as usual @butthole. 100% agreed.
Knicks have to drop Payton and start Quickley. Rose will stay with Thibs. I’d probably take Bullock over Burks because he’s an affordable 3 and D guy. They need some other go to scorer to partner with Randle
When Burks was young, they wanted him to start, but he could not stay healthy.
Now that he can stay healthy, they don’t want him to start.
Coaches do not want to admit they have the problems that Burks could fix.
That Brodges trade was dumb when it was made and looks collosally dumb now
The Bridges trade was absolutely nonsensical. It speaks to how horrible that front office is/was that Smith and Bridges would have even been tied. Smith and Bridges had just played against each other in the NCAA tourney and Smith got absolutely cooked.
Another Team Building 101 exercise. It’s not 2k. You don’t just swap out player x for player y and assume everything stays the same except for some imagined incremental benefit provided by player x. In short, the Knicks need to make a real effort to bring back enough of their core to move forward with the identity and culture they established last year. Or the season was wasted, at least from the perspective of the rebuild. Most fans are never going to get it. Hopefully, our FO does.