Knicks Rumors: How New York Should Fill out the Rest of the Roster

Less than a week into the official start of NBA free agency, the New York Knicks have already made some major moves.

After signing free agent point guard Jason Kidd and two players from Europe, the Knicks completed a sign-and-trade for center Marcus Camby, as well as signing a number of their own free agents.

The news yesterday that the Knicks had acquired Raymond Felton and Kurt Thomas via sign-and-trade, in exchange for Jared Jeffries and Dan Gadzuric, has come as a shock to most, and it leaves a number of questions about how the Knicks should fill out the rest of their roster (ESPN).

After re-signing J.R. Smith and Steve Novak, and allowing Landry Fields to leave for Toronto, the Knicks currently have 12 players under contract for next season, with space for a maximum of three more.

Here's how I believe the Knicks should finish off their roster for the 2012-13 season.

Re-Sign Jeremy Lin

The signing of Raymond Felton has really thrown things up in the air in regards to whether or not the Knicks will re-sign Jeremy Lin, but there's a chance that he could still remain a New York Knick.

Mike Woodson has said repeatedly that Lin will return next season, and that he'll be the starter, but with three point guards already under contract, that is looking a lot less likely.

The Knicks have been rightly hesitant to sign Houston's new three-year, $25 million offer sheet for Lin, but ultimately, he should return.

The Knicks' current point guards all have their problems; Jason Kidd is 39, Pablo Prigioni has never played in the NBA and Raymond Felton is coming off of the worst season of his already disappointing career.

There's a chance that Lin could be better than all three for next season alone, and at the very least the Knicks have the best chance to be successful if they give Felton and Lin a chance to battle each other for the starting role in training camp.

The Knicks are also pretty thin at shooting guard, and there's a chance that either Lin or Felton could be used as an off-guard to cover for the injured Iman Shumpert.

The financials of Lin's return are what worry people the most, but the Knicks are already going to be paying a hefty luxury tax to the NBA for the foreseeable future.

If anything, matching Houston's offer for Lin will help them deal with this, as his marketability will go a long way to covering the costs of the luxury tax.

Sign Keith Bogans

With J.R. Smith as their only currently healthy two-guard, the Knicks are in desperate need of another.

But with only the veteran's minimum to spend, options are very limited for the Knicks, so they may have to settle for someone like Keith Bogans.

Though not a stand-out player, Bogans started all 82 games for the Chicago Bulls back in the 2010-11 season—when the Bulls eventually finished with the NBA's best record.

Bogans plays tough defense and has the ability to hit the open jumper, and the Knicks will certainly be able to survive with him in the lineup until Iman Shumpert returns from injury.

Sign Shawne Williams

Amar'e Stoudemire is one of the more injury-prone players in the NBA today, and the Knicks would be wise to add some depth behind him with their final spot on the roster.

Currently, the Knicks have Kurt Thomas and Marcus Camby behind STAT, but both are over the age of 38, and the Knicks need someone with a bit more youth to cover for him.

Having been waived by the Portland Trail Blazers, the return of Shawne Williams is an option, as he provides a solid all-around game with particularly good outside shooting.

"Extra E" really made a name for himself in his first stint with the Knicks, and if they can convince him to sign for the veteran's minimum, he could once again emerge as a key part of the rotation.

Overall Roster

After making these last few signings, the Knicks roster would be as follows:

PG: Jason Kidd, Jeremy Lin, Pablo Prigioni, Raymond Felton

SG: Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith, Keith Bogans

SF: Carmelo Anthony, James White, Steve Novak

PF: Amar'e Stoudemire, Kurt Thomas, Shawne Williams

C: Tyson Chandler, Marcus Camby

As far as I'm concerned, this is as deep a roster as you could make with such a top-heavy team, and the Knicks would be set for a run at the title with this group of players.

Age is a problem on the bench, but the Knicks aren't asking for big minutes from their older players, and each should have enough gas left in the tank to contribute in limited minutes.

Ultimately, the Knicks will be at least two deep at every position, with a good mix of defense, rebounding, scoring and outside shooting, which is exactly the kind of balance needed on a championship-calibre team.