Ranking New York Knicks' Biggest Needs for 2015 NBA Offseason
The New York Knicks are not too far away from their most important offseason in years, and after racking up just 17 wins in 2014-15, they have plenty of needs to fill.
Luckily for the Knicks, they have the ammunition to make serious strides in their rebuilding project immediately. With a high lottery pick and over $25 million to spend in free agency, they should be able to lay the foundations of a deep roster.
Of course, despite its flexibility, it's unlikely New York will be able to patch up the entire squad in just one summer. It simply has too many needs, and as a result, Phil Jackson will need to prioritize effectively.
Let's rank the Knicks' biggest needs going into the 2015 offseason, taking a look at some potential targets for each of them.
5. Bench Help
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If they do manage to cover the main holes in their starting five, the Knicks' last priority would be their bench. Typically, you'd assume this would have to wait for future offseasons, with eyes on bigger needs for the time being, but a lot of the answers may actually be in-house already.
Players like Langston Galloway, Alexey Shved, Andrea Bargnani, Tim Hardaway Jr., Cole Aldrich and Quincy Acy could form a young, energetic bench, with the added bonus of having played with each other for a year already. As key members of the team toward the end of this past season, they weren't able to do much in the win column, but secondary roles may bring the best out of them.
For the most part, cost isn't an issue here. Galloway and Hardaway are already under contract, and while they may be renounced at the start of the offseason, bringing Aldrich and Acy back for the minimum eventually won't be too difficult.
For Shved and Bargnani, it could be a little more expensive, but splitting the mid-level exception between them at some point during free agency is an option. These are two players still looking to prove themselves and extend their NBA careers, and cheap, short-term deals would be ideal for both parties.
Little sleep is going to be lost over these players with bigger names like Monroe, Matthews and Okafor flying around, but it's definitely worth it for Jackson to keep them in the back of his mind. If he can successfully put together a revamped starting five, they'd be the icing on the cake.
4. A Point Guard Upgrade
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The triangle offense may not emphasize point guard play, but there's no escaping how important the position is in today's NBA. New York needs someone who can effectively spread the floor, control the pace of play and hold his own on the defensive end.
Galloway should be back after signing an unguaranteed contract in January, but it remains to be seen if he can continue to perform as the Knicks raise their collective expectations. He's nice to keep as a combo guard, but simply assuming that he can continue to play a major role on a more competitive team is not smart.
Meanwhile, Jose Calderon struggled with injury in 2014-15, missing half of the season and looking like a shell of himself during most of his appearances. There's a chance he could bounce back, but even at his best he's a liability on defense. New York may well be better off trying to offload him via trade or the stretch provision.
In the draft, the Knicks could take a serious look at Emmanuel Mudiay and D'Angelo Russell, but if either Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor is still on the board, it would be difficult to pull the trigger on them. Point guard is definitely a serious need, but Phil Jackson needs to seriously question if using the best pick the Knicks have had in years on a position that isn't emphasized in his system is ideal.
The sweet spot for New York in upgrading at point guard without investing too much could be a player like Patrick Beverley. Known for his defense, Beverley would provide some of the grit the Knicks have been missing for a reasonable price. If they are re-signed, a committee could be formed with Galloway and Alexey Shved, providing the crux of what is needed out of the position. More importantly, this would leave some serious spending money and a draft pick for the rest of their needs.
3. Two-Way Wing Player(s)
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It's difficult to recall any Knicks wings in recent memory who have contributed effectively and consistently on both ends of the floor. Looking around the league, however, just about every contending team has at least a couple on their roster, so it comes as no surprise that the Knicks have been basement-dwellers for the last two years.
Free agency looks to be the answer to New York's problem, with Wesley Matthews, Arron Afflalo and DeMarre Carroll all available as unrestricted free agents, potentially for under $10 million each. It's not out of the question that restricted free agents Draymond Green and Khris Middleton could be targeted, too. Bringing in one or two of those players would make a huge difference.
All of these players are capable of spreading the floor and shoring up the wings on defense, and having them in the lineup would allow Melo to comfortably move back to power forward.
Though he's not quite the defender some of these players listed are, Tobias Harris remains an option, too. He's a New York native and has a history of working out with Carmelo Anthony in the summer, which could be great for chemistry in a potential forward partnership. He'd be risky and expensive as a restricted free agent, but his upside may just make that worthwhile.
2. A Starting Center
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It's been too long since the Knicks have had a quality, young starting center who can perform on both ends of the court. Tyson Chandler was great for a short while, but a more sustainable long-term option is needed now that the rebuild has come around.
Greg Monroe has already been strongly linked to New York. At only 24, he fits the bill in terms of age and has been productive both offensively and on the boards. The issues are that he'll likely demand a max contract, and he leaves a fair bit to be desired on the defensive end.
Looking at the Knicks' options in the draft, it would be difficult to justify passing on both Towns and Okafor, even with Monroe in mind in free agency. Neither is as much of a sure thing as Monroe at this point, but they'd be significantly cheaper and certainly have the upside to be worth the risk.
Technically, there's nothing stopping the Knicks from drafting a rookie center and signing Monroe to play at power forward, but that could create some spacing issues, not dissimilar to those experienced with the trio of Anthony, Stoudemire and Chandler. At this point, it's safe to say Melo needs to be playing at power forward or at the very least alongside another forward who can spread the floor.
If they are confident they can sign Monroe, that would give the Knicks the flexibility to potentially trade down in the draft, which could be useful. After suffering through this horrible season and years of trading away draft picks, however, it's about time New York made use of this rare opportunity to bring in elite talent on the cheap.
Monroe would be nice in a vacuum, but in the context of this offseason, New York may be better off using its draft pick on a center, assuming the lottery falls in its favor. Of the more realistic signings out there for the Knicks in free agency, Monroe figures to be one of the more expensive (as is always the case with young bigs), so filling the need in the draft may lend itself to building a deeper roster overall.
1. A Second Scoring Option
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Finding another superstar to pair with Carmelo Anthony is going to be difficult—if not impossible—for the Knicks this summer. The names are out there, with Marc Gasol, Rajon Rondo and LaMarcus Aldridge all headed for unrestricted free agency, but it's hard to picture any of them opting to leave their respective playoff teams in favor of the Knicks.
Still, the Knicks need a reliable second scoring option on offense, and if not a star, they can at least try and find an upgrade over the likes of J.R. Smith, Raymond Felton and Amar'e Stoudemire, whom they had been relying on for the last few years.
This particular need can ultimately be filled anywhere on the court as long as there isn't a clash with Melo. Though no specific position is highlighted, the point is that the Knicks need to make one sizable splash for a player who can help carry the team on occasion.
As established, Monroe is an option and, despite coming at a hefty price, would fit the role quite nicely. He averaged a career-high 15.9 points per 36 minutes in 2014-15, on 50 percent from the field and continues to grow on that end of the floor.
Elsewhere, though it's a long shot, the Knicks could make a run at restricted free agents Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler. They'd instantly take that secondary role behind Melo if the Knicks managed to defy all odds and bring either of them to New York.
More realistically, the Knicks could end up settling for a player like Afflalo or Matthews, who lack star power and serious upside but are reliable enough to fill that role as part of a well-balanced roster. Ultimately, the name of the game for the Knicks is going to be spreading costs across the court, so finding Melo's equal is neither realistic nor financially desirable. This is just about finding someone who can be relied upon to put up 20-plus points when it's required.
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