Should NY Knicks Do the Unthinkable and Keep Andrea Bargnani Next Season?

NBA fans expect the New York Knicks to revamp their roster this summer, but some of the answers may actually be in-house.

Prevailing knowledge suggests that New York will simply renounce its rights to every huge contract on its books—in fact, the Knicks have already traded away Tyson Chandler and bought out Amar'e Stoudemire.

But with Andrea Bargnani, it may not be so simple.

According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, the Knicks are considering re-signing Bargnani for the right price after his recent impressive outings.

Having missed the first 51 games of the season due to injury, Bargnani has excelled since returning to the lineup, averaging 17.6 points per game on 49 percent shooting from the field as a starter.

Over this same stretch, Bargnani has also been shooting a career-high 50 percent from downtown and has been far from the defensive liability we've come to know him as. Sure, he still doesn't defend the rim or bring down boards as well as a 7-footer should, but his one-on-one defending has been solid.

The standout game for Bargnani came in a rare victory over the Detroit Pistons, when he put up 25 points, 12 rebounds and four assists while looking as efficient and well-rounded as ever.

Bargnani is clearly playing for his next NBA contract, and while the Knicks should rightly be concerned that his recent play is an anomaly, a smaller, shorter deal could keep him motivated for the foreseeable future.

Motivation isn't the only concern for Bargnani. Before returning, he had been out for 13 months due to injury, and he hasn't played more than 66 games in a single season since 2010-11. When he has played, his production has been underwhelming, to say the least, for a former No. 1 overall pick.

On the bright side, these concerns should ensure that Bargnani will be available for a fair price on the open market this summer.

Few teams will be willing to risk much more than the mid-level exception on a player with such an uncertain future. This price tag may be cheap enough for New York to consider without disrupting its primary offseason plans.

Due to his $17.25 million cap hold, the Knicks will almost certainly renounce Bargnani in order to ensure maximum flexibility in free agency. That means Bird rights will be out of the question, but bringing him back as an unrestricted free agent with any leftover cap space they end up with would be a smart move.

Spending more than, say, $3-5 million on Bargnani would be too risky for the Knicks, who will be able to find much more reliable options out there.

But the upside is certainly there.

At his current level of play, Bargnani could be a nice complementary option off the bench. He could potentially even be a starter, depending on how he meshes with Carmelo Anthony in the context of the triangle offense.

Low-risk, high-reward moves like this are the foundations of successful franchises—even the ones with money to spend. Phil Jackson would be wise to seriously consider keeping Bargnani around if he can stay consistent over the course of these last 18 games.