5 Free Agents Who Will Fit New York Knicks' Triangle Offense
With more than half the season in the books, the New York Knicks have only 34 games left in the campaign before Phil Jackson can fully shift focus to the 2015 offseason. With the team at 10-38, the playoffs are now a pipe dream—even in a terrible East—and a top-five pick is likely on the way this June.
With Jackson at the helm and Carmelo Anthony on board to go along with a high-end lottery pick, New York has the potential to be a prime free-agent destination, even despite such a putrid 2014-15 campaign. The Knicks' recruitment process, though, will need to be a bit different than most other teams with cap space.
As has been made clear with New York's roster upheaval over the course of this year, the triangle isn't a system that any player can simply slide into. It stresses key skills—awareness, playmaking and mobility among them—that even some All-Star-caliber players may lack and present a poor fit within the scheme.
When the clock strikes midnight on July 1, Jackson will have a laundry list of names to contact about a chance to join up with the Knicks. And though that list will have specific criteria, this summer's free-agent class has several players who can fit the system.
Tobias Harris
1 of 5
According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, there has reportedly been mutual interest in a 2015 pairing between a certain Long Island native and the Knickerbockers.
Tobias Harris is set to hit restricted free agency this summer, and though the Orlando Magic can match any offer given to the fourth-year forward, the Knicks are expected to make a run at the local product.
At 6'8", 226 pounds, Harris presents similar size to Carmelo Anthony and could likely start at whichever forward spot Anthony isn't manning. Starting the pair together would provide the Knicks' first team with plenty of versatility, particularly now that Harris seems to have found his shooting stroke—he's making threes at a career-best 37.6 clip this season.
The two worked together in Anthony's Manhattan practice facility this past summer. “I look at a guy like Carmelo with the size and skills he has, and I try to mimic my game after him a bit,’’ Harris said, according to the Post.
The 22-year-old's size and athleticism would prove useful in the triangle, and his wide frame would be effective in the screen game. He's shown a great ability to get to the rim over his brief NBA stint—he's shooting 68.7 percent at the rim this season. And though his jump shot is still developing into an asset, his young age should leave New York optimistic about his ceiling as a shooter.
Draymond Green
2 of 5
Draymond Green will be another potential restricted free-agent target for New York this summer, but with the Golden State Warriors maxing out Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry due for a maximum raise in 2017, Green could possibly slip away if the offer from the Knicks is too lucrative.
In a breakout campaign, the 24-year-old has averaged 11.5 points and eight rebounds over 32 minutes under Steve Kerr this season. He's also averaged 3.5 assists and more than one block per night. He had been shooting near 35 percent from three through Jan. 23.
Particularly in the triangle, his playmaking and vision would get to shine. His 51.1 passes per game is second on the team, only to Stephen Curry's 57.5, via NBA.com, and he's second in assists on a team that ranks second league-wide in that category.
In fact, we can already attribute Green's emergence to triangle philosophies infused into his game. Via the San Jose Mercury News’ Tim Kawakami, Kerr spoke before the season about the triangle nature of his demands from Golden State's bigs.
"I think you’ll see a lot of ball movement; I think you’ll see the bigs utilized as passers on the elbows and on the block," he said. "I think you’ll see some triangle concepts."
His defensive impact is something the Knicks could desperately use too, while he could be the perfect accessory to an offense led by Anthony and perhaps Jahlil Okafor or another free-agent acquisition.
Goran Dragic
3 of 5
While Jose Calderon is a perfectly suitable triangle point guard as an ancillary piece, a quick fix for the Knicks offense could be to add a more capable creator at the position. Free-agent point man Goran Dragic could be the odd man out with two other point guards locked up long-term with the Phoenix Suns, and he is apparently open to conversations with the Knicks this July.
Speaking to the New York Daily News, Dragic spoke about Phil Jackson's lure as a factor in free-agent recruiting:
"Oh yeah, definitely,” said Dragic, who earned All-NBA third-team honors last season. “You know Phil, he was a great coach. He won so many titles and he was coaching so many great players that of course it’s interesting and I would love working with him. Because probably he’s making all the moves — I’m not sure — but he knows what the team needs and what direction the team needs to go. In the past probably, he makes some decisions, who the Lakers bring in and the Chicago Bulls and (he) did an amazing job.
"
He's probably due for a salary in the $15 million-plus range annually. He's put together a shooting line of 48 percent from the field and 36 percent from three over the last three years, averaging 17 points, six assists and a steal in that time.
Last season, before Isaiah Thomas' arrival, Dragic posted 20 points per night on 50 percent shooting, including 40 percent from long range. The 6'3" guard will be 29 by July and is seeking the first major payday of his career.
Dragic is adept at creating offense for himself and others on drives. According to NBA.com, he's shooting nearly 55 percent on drives to the rim—best on Phoenix—and scores an average of 3.8 points per game via those attempts, to go along with another five points created for his teammates. He shoots an impressive 71 percent at the rim.
What the Knicks are currently lacking in Calderon, they can acquire in Dragic, though the price will presumably be steep.
Wesley Matthews
4 of 5
If Phil Jackson opts to acquire a handful of mid-salary players instead of cashing out on one max-level salary, bringing in Wesley Matthews to man the shooting guard spot would be a solid move.
Matthews is a career 39 percent shooter from beyond the arc, and he has grown accustomed to playing off the ball next to Damian Lillard. Though most of his attempts come from beyond the arc, his mid-range jumper has been effective, coming in at above 40 percent all year—a shot that is often deployed for wide-open looks in the triangle.
The wing also contributes stellar defense in the backcourt, mainly thanks to his strength that also works to his advantage on the offensive end. Having a perimeter option in the triangle who can double as a strong weapon in the post on occasion would give New York a unique attack, depending on how the lineup shakes out at point guard and center.
Matthews hasn't necessarily grown into a playmaker with the Portland Trail Blazers, but the 28-year-old has shown an ability to make decent reads and play well within his role under Terry Stotts. If Jackson decides to bring in the guard, it would likely be in a tertiary role, which would fit his skill set well.
Marc Gasol
5 of 5
The Knicks have a glaring need for a center, and if Jahlil Okafor and Karl Towns get snagged in this year's draft before New York gets a chance to select, then Marc Gasol is the clear answer to the team's triangle woes at the 5. The only question is if Phil Jackson can pry him away from the Memphis Grizzlies.
It's hard to find a more prototypical fit in the triangle than Gasol, whose brother won two championships as a Laker running the system under Jackson.
The younger Gasol's offensive repertoire is about as polished as they come. Now in his seventh NBA season and originally pegged as a defense-first rim protector, he's still top-notch there. But it's Gasol's fit within the triangle that's especially intriguing.
He's posting a career-high 18.7 points per night on 49.7 percent shooting. The passes and reads he makes from the center position are among the best in the game. He hits the elbow jumper consistently and has the post moves to score on a defender one-on-one—all trademark qualities of successful triangle centers.
Pairing Gasol with Carmelo Anthony would form one of the Eastern Conference's most versatile duos, and drafting a point guard like Emmanuel Mudiay or D'Angelo Russell to play behind Jose Calderon (Gasol's teammate in international play) would only make this long-term commitment even more promising.
It'll take a lot of convincing for Jackson to get Gasol to leave his highly successful Memphis squad for a bottom-feeder Knicks team, but the team's president will certainly try. According to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal:
"The New York Knicks don’t appear positioned to be a championship contender in the near future. But could that change by pairing Gasol with Carmelo Anthony? There already is a strong belief that Knicks boss Phil Jackson will target Gasol because of his belief that Gasol is the quintessential center to play in the triangle offense.
"
The Knicks won't be alone in their pursuit of the big man, but if he decides to put a punctuation on his career in Memphis after this year, New York provides the best fit and a system that would bring out the best of his abilities.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
