Finding a point guard will be an offseason priority for the Knicks, who have plenty of cap room and draft capital for their search, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. New York’s point guard situation was in shambles by the end of the playoffs, with Elfrid Payton and Frank Ntilikina both out of the rotation and Derrick Rose slowed by a sore knee.
With close to $60MM available to spend, the Knicks can be aggressive on the free agent market. The Raptors‘ Kyle Lowry will be an option, and sources tell Berman that he has wanted to come to New York in the past. However, a long-term contract for the 35-year-old would be considered a gamble.
Lonzo Ball reportedly has interest in joining the Knicks, but he’s a restricted free agent, giving the Pelicans the right to match any offer. Another intriguing name is Spencer Dinwiddie, who might like the idea of moving across town if the Nets don’t make a sizeable offer. Dennis Schröder and Cameron Payne are also available.
If New York opts for a trade, the team has a pair of first-round picks (19 and 21) and two second-rounders (32 and 58) to offer in this year’s draft. Berman addresses the chances of acquiring Damian Lillard, Ben Simmons, Kemba Walker and Jalen Brunson.
There’s more from New York City:
- Coach Tom Thibodeau offered some insight into the Knicks’ draft plans during an appearance Friday on ESPN’s coverage of the combine, Berman adds. Thibodeau said the team wants to “add shooting — not just 3s, but off the dribble as well, wings and guys who can shoot.” He also talked about both trading up and trading out of the draft.
- If the Knicks decide to find their next point guard through the draft, Baylor’s Jared Butler could be an option, according to Ryan Dunleavy of The New York Post. Butler, who is ranked 19th on ESPN’s list of the top 100 prospects, met with Knicks officials Thursday at the combine. “They just really tried to get to know me and pick my brain about certain situations in the game,” Butler said. “Asked about specific things about my time at Baylor, what I learned from that, and how I can translate to their team.”
- Mitchell Robinson has been bulking up while recovering from surgery on his right foot. The Knicks tweeted a photo of him Friday at a lean 275 pounds after being listed at 240 pounds during the season.
1yr/max to Lowry could be good. Keep us in playoffs picture next season, give us a true leader and save cap for 2022
Would be ideal but I doubt Lowry would be in the charitable mood of signing just a one year deal. I’d guess that he’s looking for a 3 year deal to sunset on.
Signing Lonzo is just a really smart investment, if only bc it increases the chances his brother joins him in a few years, but I also feel he showed last year that he is a team player and dedicated to improving his craft.
“Signing Lonzo is just a really smart investment, if only bc it increases the chances his brother joins him in a few years”
That sounds something like the (dumb) Knicks of old would do. Enough with the 5D chess that ends up being more like .5D chess.
C.K. should have said something more like, “He showed last year he was a team player and dedicated to improving his craft.”
This is the crucial thing if true, which I think is likely.
Which, could raise the red flag of contract year special effort. Seems like a max is far too much… Even $20mil is too much, but believable.
SheaGoodbye – He also happens to be the best available PG. Lowry is 35 and not a fit IMO.
Who else would they sign ?
Dennis Schroeder ?
So, we’d have two Ball PGs then. And one of them most likely overpaid.
Knicks want to keep 5 own free agents
If Knicks don’t offer $100 million to Ball, Pelicans would match
Unless it’s Lowry on a 1+1 I think I’d prefer the cap space.
Maybe I’d roll the die on Kemba if OKC sent a pick. See how he looks this year and then flip him as an expiring next summer. But all the “young” PG’s in the market strike me as blah, especially when we already have Quickley, who seems to me to have more potential than Schroeder, Dinwiddie, et al.
The exception of course is Lillard but as of now there’s no indication he’s going to be on the market.
Why would Knicks choose Lowry over Rose. Unless Rose doesn’t want to come back because he’s ring chasing. What about Luka from Argentina? Could he be a starting PG if given the opportunity. Knicks need more shooters. The Knicks couldn’t keep up with the Hawks scoring.
Frank is gone so i think Rose comes back as the back up point/the 2 with Luka and Q. Then they sign or trade for a point and a shooter I don’t see them keeping 4 picks so they have to hit on 1 at least.
Good point, Luka will be on the roster next year too.
I’m not sure I see why NY would de facto spend big on a PG this summer. Let’s see what Luka can do, let’s see how Quickley develops. If we can bring Rose back at under 10 per it makes sense as a safety valve/backup.
Powell’s a name I like too. Just really depends on the contract #s for most of these guys this summer.
Because can you count on Rose for a full season? And can you count on him to play as well as he did for the Knicks? He shot 39% from 3 for the Knicks, but his next best highest season is 37%, followed by 34%. And his career % is 31.1%. Rose is an excellent 6th man option, but I don’t think I’d want him playing 30-35 minutes (or more, knowing Thibs) a night.
I do agree on Knicks needing more shooters. I want them to go after Norman Powell.
Thibs loves Rose. He’s in a good place as a backup. Keep him under 24-26 mins. And he gives you great production. He’s coming back. Thibs knows he needs a starting PG. Rose is solid as a rotation player. We have to find a starting PG.
Because Lowry is a winner, Rose is a loser and the Knicks want to win..
You don’t want Kemba unless you’re looking for a repeat of last season. Except instead of overachieving you just meet expectations.
Yeah I agree – I’d only do it if a 1st was involved (OKC has enough to spare one I think). Then I’d pray he has a bounce back year and try to flip him next summer as an expiring.
Spot on @butthole. Of all the names listed, DL is the only one I’d be a fan of, provided we don’t move RJ, which I’d think Portland would insist on. For now, I’d hold onto that cap space for the following year and ride Rose/Quickley/Burks next year. Not a fan of all the options out there and would hate for them to make a desperate move and ruin the cap for the 2022 market.
Ball’s gotta be the guy. Young, Thibs love defense, he can shoot, and despite his playmaking he doesn’t need the ball in his hands a lot.
Barring another team making a crazy offer (Bulls?), the fit is too good to pass up on IMO.
If it’s not him or Lowry, I’d stick to a one-year deal and maintain cap space for the future.
I’d want Ball too but I don’t think NO lets him go. They will match any offer.
It’s definitely a possibility, but my gut tells me they will let him walk. The roster as currently stands doesn’t work together, or at least it didn’t under SVG. They might want to shake things up a bit versus committing that amount of dollars.
That being said, maybe they do match any offer and give that group another year together under a new HC. Not such a bad idea, especially since Zion and Ball are close. So long as he doesn’t go out and have a clunker of a year, they could probably move his contract in the future without much trouble.
I like the idea of Ball to Knicks to help convince Zion in 2 years. Not a realistic scenario but fun to think about.
I do think Ball is way better fit than Lowry though.
SVG is gone they fired him so we’ll see but I think he’s gone.
I like Ball. Appreciate how he’s improving his shooting from 3 and at the line.
I also think he could move to the 2 next to Quickley.
Only thing I don’t like with him is he doesn’t seem to create much offense. He got to the line less than 2 times a game last yr.
I think that kind of hampers his value. As is he’s more of a 3&D guy than a PG to me.
Knicks need a SG ad well! I’m not impressed with RJ performances. He went Awol during playoff. Wonder what they planning to do with Knox and Ntilikina. Mfs slept on MPJ and Mitchell! Triangle offense my ass!
Let me end the wonderment regarding Frank and Knox: they’re gone. They’re both terrible.
All the Knicks have to do is trade Frank for a lottery first.
5 straight titles! Not 4.
FN and Knox are horrible. Time to let them go.
Knicks would do well to steer clear of pursuing Ball. It would indicate an offseason that’s gone about as wrong as it could. Start with the fact that Ball hasn’t shown any ability to play winning basketball from the PG spot. The only times the Pels have looked good in a half court offense last year, Zion was on the point. The year prior, Ingram was on the point. He’s not a leader, let alone the kind of floor general you want at PG. As important, the Pels (the team that knows him best) don’t consider him to be a player worthy of being part of a big 3 with Zion and Ingram (if they did, or he’d be extended by now). Yet, it’s also clear that, as an important part of the AD trade, there exist non-basketball reasons for them (Griffin) to reach to match an offer sheet. So, if the Knicks go down this road, the best case is that they massively overpay an erratic player who is unwanted by his existing team at anywhere near the price they’re paying.
Ball to me has developed into something closer to a 3&D guy than a PG.
While that’s a let down given his pre-draft hype, his skill set is still valuable. But it’s not going to solve NY’s deficit of shot creators, and it’s not something I’d pay 20m+ annually for. So I think it’s a longshot Rose wiggles him from New Orleans without massively overpaying.
Yep, that’s who he is right now, and not even best of breed on the offensive side of it. The only possibilities involve him not getting a real offer sheet in the initial phase, and it goes back to where the Pels really don’t want him to take the Q/O and it’s either pulled or Rose throws Griffin a couple of 2nds (to save face) in a S&T.
Not a Ball fan either. He’s regressed and seems his attitude has changed to me. Mitchell would be great if you can do it. But I don’t see Pels passing on him. It’s crazy you get Ball, then Kira, and know Mitchell. What’s this say about NO. Yeah so I agree why would you want a player. His own team don’t seem to want.
No to Ball …..
No to Cam …..
No to Dunn …..
No to Graham …..
No to Lowry ……
No to Schroeder ……
Giddey (he’s young), Dosunmu. Two guys In draft we could move up for. Be great if one dropped to us. Imo Knicks will explore trading up. Or making a trade for a player. Don’t see Thibs bringing in 4 rookies.
Dinwiddie is best FA PG to me.
I absolutely love Dosunmu.
I think he’ll be there when we pick.
Yeah he’s a 2way player. Which is great for this team. Also got size. Only thing in NCAAs he kind of disappeared a bit. That team should of went further. Not putting it on him. If he’s there, you gotta take him.
What about CJ McCollum for the Knicks as a PG or Devonte Graham? Brunson ?
I’d still shoot for one of the big 3 but I’d target Brunson as well given the Dallas need to deal with the protections on the 2023 pick they sent us.
McCollum seems like a stretch bc I’m not sure what NY would give up?
Graham is interesting but he’s only had one good year – wonder what his market looks like this summer…
The best bet for the Knicks is to trade Thibs. They’ve already gotten everything he has to offer a team and instead of repeating the crashes at his previous jobs the knicks should move him to a team that needs to establish some culture.
As for the PG spot, CP3 should be at the top of the list & given a blank check.
Lowry and Conley should be the fall backs.
Striking out on all 3 is simply unacceptable. You don’t fill your only hole with a loser, a failure or a lottery ticket. Sign someone who has been there and done that the right way and pay the price to close the deal. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that injuries only happen to older players.
Dude go back to PlayStation. This is still a rebuild. You forget what this exact teams record was under different people in charge. We need two things most. Another scorer/shooter, and a starting PG. Not 35 yr olds for a yr of glorious past endeavors.
There is no mention of Quickley in Berman’s article. The Knicks aren’t that close to a chamionship that thet can’t be patient and let him develop.
There are “sources” to tell writers at the NY Post that every player in the NBA wants to be a Knick. There may be players who publicly state they don’t want to play for Dolan that “sources say” privately want to join the Knicks.
Everyone who has made a name for themselves will want to be a Knick is a requisite belief for writing for the NY Post.
Most Post articles are written by Marc Berman, who has been a joke for like two decades.
Berman is only interested in number readership. He’ll write anything true or not. Time to think for yourself, please. If you know this team. It’s basically the same that was worst in NBA for two yrs. Thibs and Randle and new direction have given hope. It’s been ONE yr under new culture. Randle has WOKEN up at 27. Quickly and Toppin are solid draft picks. Mitch and RJ are 22 and still getting better. So relax, this ain’t Fast Food. Just think about what Hawks exposed. We know we need a starting PG. Luca is signed and he’s more a traditional PG only 25. More a backup and depth. Which tells me Quickly and Toppin could be moved for value. Noel is a FA and deserves a payday. Not from us to backup Mitch. Mitch is due for big yr. Needs to play 36 mins. IMO if Knicks like a pick that can play and help next yr. They will draft him, most likely a big. They will trade up for a wing or trade for one. And sign a FA PG. There are a few available, even Restricted. We have Real options to upgrade next yr.
I Trust In Thibs ……. all yr been saying it.
“Trust in Thibs” ok. They’re on it
Elfrid is a very funny name