Knicks Rumors: Warriors' Kelly Oubre Jr., NY Have 'Mutual Interest' in Free Agency

The New York Knicks are seeking a starter at small forward, and there is reportedly "mutual interest" between the team and free-agent forward Kelly Oubre Jr., according to Marc Berman of the New York Post.

Oubre played this past season with the Golden State Warriors after previously spending time with the Phoenix Suns and Washington Wizards during his six-year career. He finished last year with averages of 15.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game.

Reggie Bullock started 64 of his 65 games this past season for New York, but he is also set to hit free agency this offseason.

With Alec Burks also potentially on his way out, the only real wing on the roster is Kevin Knox, who struggled to 3.9 points per game in 2020-21.

Oubre could be an upgrade over all of them, especially if he plays like he did in 2019-20. The 25-year-old set career highs that season with the Suns while averaging 18.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. He shot 35.2 percent from three-point range while also ranking second on the team in defensive win shares, per Basketball Reference.

The past year with the Warriors wasn't quite as smooth, and he especially struggled from the outside with a 31.6 three-point percentage. He still provided solid effort on both ends of the court, which general manager Bob Myers appreciated.

Myers said in a March appearance on the Dubs Talk podcast (via Josh Schrock of NBC Sports) that Oubre is in Golden State's long-term plans:

"Kelly has been great. Without him, I know we wouldn't be as good record-wise or as fun or as good of a defense or have as high of a defensive rating. He brings great energy and we've seen his evolvement through the last month or so and it's just been tremendous. So, yeah, we love him. We'd love to have him continue with us and we hope we can figure that out."

The Knicks could still be a better option for Oubre as a team on the rise after finishing fourth in the Eastern Conference. As Berman noted, New York has plenty of cap space and it is one of the few teams that can also offer more than the $9.5 million exception.

The addition could give the Knicks a reliable third scorer behind Julius Randle and RJ Barrett heading into 2021-22.