Sports
Knicks Minimum Contracts to Pursue as Late NBA Free Agency Steals – Bleacher Report
The New York Knicks have kept mostly quiet during the 2023 NBA offseason.
They added Donte DiVincenzo and subtracted Obi Toppin, but for the most part, they’ve stayed out of the spotlight. Could they be biding their time before the opportunity for a splashy acquisition surfaces, or might they feel this roster needs only minor tweaks (if anything) to compete at a high level next season?
It’s possible the answer is yes to both.
While there are a few flashy names on the trade market—notably, Damian Lillard and James Harden—they don’t project as great fits for this roster. So, they probably aren’t worth forking over significant assets to go get.
Because New York knows this core can be successful (47 wins and a second-round appearance this past season), it doesn’t have to force the issue and make a major move just for the sake of doing it. Instead, the Knicks can continue to be patient and search for targeted, low-cost upgrades, like the following three free agents.
The Knicks have yet to add a backup power forward since trading Toppin, and their center group, while strong, doesn’t have the stretch element that could be hugely helpful in opening attack lanes for Julius Randle, Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett.
JaMychal Green would give New York a chance to check both boxes.
The 33-year-old just wrapped a (mostly) productive season with the Golden State Warriors. He fortunately rediscovered his three-point stroke (37.8 percent, was an uncharacteristic 26.6 percent outside shooter the year prior), played solid team defense and stayed active on the glass.
With his skills and smarts, he can still fill a regular rotation role for a playoff team.
The Knicks might want more shooting than Derrick Jones Jr. can provide, but coach Tom Thibodeau would love his versatile and disruptive defense.
And fans would be enamored with Jones’ jaw-dropping athleticism.
Jones is seven years into his NBA career and still forming his offensive identity, which isn’t ideal, but the playmaking tied to his athleticism keeps teams coming back to him. He is never out of a play defensively because of his anti-gravity bounce, and if he has a direct path to the rim, he’s probably going viral.
The ‘Bockers don’t have as much bounce without Toppin. Jones could take care of that.
If the Knicks are still in the free-agent market, they won’t be looking to fill a major role. But if a minimum contract delivered someone who could handle 15 minutes on at least a semi-regular basis, it would be money well-spent.
Anthony Lamb could handle that. He just did in Golden State.
His outside shot faltered late and took his rotation role with it, but before that he was a mostly steady source of spot-up shooting, versatile enough defense and quick decision-making. He’ll attack when he has an opening, but he moves off the ball in a hurry if he doesn’t.
New York probably couldn’t count on him being the solution to Toppin’s absence, but Lamb could be part of the answer.