Best Value Free Agents for NY Knicks to Pursue
Even though there are gaping holes that need to be filled on the New York Knicks, now is the time to be frugal.
Next summer is when the party starts. At that point, the team will be freed of a slew of burdensome contracts, including those belonging to Amar'e Stoudemire, Andrea Bargnani and Tyson Chandler. And New York will be looking at a loaded class of free agents, too.
That's when president of basketball operations Phil Jackson can start making it rain.
TOP NEWS
Knicks walk back ticket pricing increase
_0.jpg?w=2560)
2017 NBA Re-Draft Gives Teams the Ultimate Do-Overs ๐
Every NBA Team's Top Breakout Candidate This Upcoming Season ๐
The Knicks will passionately pursue re-signing Carmelo Anthony this summer if he opts out of the final year of his contract, but Jackson has encouraged 'Melo to play out the deal and instead become a free agent in 2015.
Other than that, though, don't expect any earth-shattering moves from the 'Bockers, a team that will be looking at a payroll upwards of $91 million next season.
According to ESPN New York, the Knicks can "offer free agents the tax payerโs mid-level exception (a contract that starts at $3.3 million and can be as long as three seasons in length) or standard veteranโs minimum contract."
Think of the Knicksโfor this summer, at leastโas a parent in the grocery store, shopping to feed a big family on a small budget. They need a lot, but can only spend so much.
That's where the emphasis on value comes in. Itโs imperative that New York makes the most of every dollar it spends this offseason.
Jimmer Fredette
When Jimmer Fredette was released from the clenches of the Sacramento Kings on Feb. 27, I wrote that New York should jump on the opportunity to land the former BYU star.
The kid can flat-out score. The word โdefenseโ might be scribbled out in his pocket dictionary, but Fredette knows how to put the ball in the cup.
Over the course of his three-year NBA career, Jimmer hasnโt been the star that he was in college. But he really hasnโt gotten a fair shake, either.
After netting nearly eight points a game in his rookie campaign with the Kings, Fredetteโs scoring numbersโand playing timeโhave since declined.
Even after his departure from Sacramento, the 25-year-old played in just eight games with the Chicago Bulls and didnโt see a single minute in the playoffs.
Granted, Fredette wasnโt with the Bulls, a defensive-oriented team, long enough to develop the right chemistry with his teammates. And he clearly didnโt earn the trust of head coach Tom Thibodeau.
But this summer, heโll be an unrestricted free agent.
Fredette hasn't shown great promise as an NBA point guard, though the Knicks could use a change in the backcourt. And even if bringing the ball up doesn't work with Fredette, New York can make him a platoon shooting guard behind J.R. Smith andย Tim Hardaway Jr.
The Glen Falls, N.Y. native wonโt fetch a heavy price and would likely love to play is his home state, even if it is just for the veteranโs minimum.
The Knicks had the leagueโs 20th overall offense last season, and Fredetteโa career 40.1 percent shooter from three-point landโcould give New York a boost off the bench next year.
Jan Vesely
The Knicks need an influx of youth, height and athleticism. Jan Vesely brings all those assets to the table.
The former sixth overall pick of the 2011 draft hasnโt lived up to the lofty expectations that he set for himselfโafter being selected, he called Blake Griffin โthe American Jan Vesely,โ per SB Nationโs Mike Pradaโbut he's still got a high ceiling.
The Washington Wizards traded Vesely to the Denver Nuggets at this year's trade deadline, but the three-year veteran continued to struggle to find his footing. Having never averaged more than five points or five rebounds in a season, Veselyโs free-agent stock will be relatively low.
And thatโs why the Knicks could take a flier on him.
Stoudemire and Bargnani arenโt reliable at the power forward position, and neither of them are supremely athletic. But Vesely, though heโs far from being mentioned in Griffinโs league, is an athletic freak and could give the Knicks some electrifying minutes off the bench.
Before the trade, Wizards star John Wall raved about the 6'11" forwardโs athleticism on ESPN radio. As reported by Dan Steinberg of The Washington Post in late January:
"Thatโs what Vesely does. Man, weโve seen him do some crazy things in practice that doesnโt make no sense, that youโd never think he would be able to catch. So when weโre in the game, I love when heโs in the game with me. I always feel like if I get the opportunity โ if I see him ahead of anybody, or running along somebody โ I feel like heโll win the battle with them if I throw it up there.
"
New York leaned far too heavily on small-ball last year, mostly due to the fact that the team was essentially void of reliable size.
By acquiring Vesely, the Knicks would get younger, bigger and more athletic for a presumably rock-bottom price.
Now weโre talking.
Before I start getting beaned with a cloudburst of tomatoes, I get itโbelieve me, I get it.
Andrew Bynum has done more than enough to discourage the Knicks, and any other NBA team for that matter, from touching him with a 10-foot pole.
A bowling injury kept him sidelined for his lone season with the Philadelphia 76ers. He got the boot for excessively clowning around at Cleveland Cavaliers practices earlier this year. He collected a $1 million check for playing two games with the Indiana Pacers.
Over the course of his years away from the Los Angeles Lakers, Bynum has absolutely shattered his reputation as an elite center. But there was a time when he was with L.A. that Bynum was, according to Shaquille OโNeal in 2012, โthe best big man in the game.โ
During a three-year span from 2009-2012, the former Laker dropped 15 points and nine boards a night while playing a sizable role in two championship runs.
Do you remember who coached those championship Laker teams? Some guy named Phil Jackson. You may have heard of him.
Per ESPN New York on May 23:
"[Bynumโs] reputation and career seems to be in need of repair after the injuries and drama over the past two seasons. If anyone can get him back on track, itโs Phil Jackson, whom Bynum enjoyed success with in Los Angeles.
"
Derek Fisher, Bynum's former teammate with Los Angeles, is a strong candidate for the Knicks' head coaching vacancy.
Over the course of his four years playing alongside Bynum, the crafty Fisher has likely seen what works and what doesn't to get through to the big man from a coaching standpoint.
And he, along with Jackson, would conceivably be able to maximize the potential still embedded in the 26-year-old.
New York just missed out on landing Bynum after he was spurned by the Cavs, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. So clearly, even without Jackson's presence, the team had shown interest despite all of the baggage that comes along with the 7-footer.
Signing Bynum would be a Hail Mary, full-court shot of a move for the Knicks.
But if it works, and Bynum reverts back to the player that he was under Jackson in Los Angeles, the payoff will be immeasurable.
All stats used are courtesy of Basketball Reference. Contract information was taken from HoopsHype.
