Ben Simmons, Knicks Reportedly Staying in Touch About Contract amid NBA Rumors
The New York Knicks have reportedly "continued to touch base with Ben Simmons during the free agency period," per SNY's Ian Begley.
Simmons played 51 games last year for the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers, starting 24 contests. He averaged 5.0 points on 52.0 percent shooting, 5.6 assists and 4.7 rebounds in 22.0 minutes per game.
As Begley noted, the Knicks have room to add one veteran minimum contract and one rookie contract to avoid hitting the dreaded second apron of the salary cap, which would invite a host of penalties.
So Simmons is clearly an option, per Begley, but he doesn't appear to be the lone option. Begley expanded more on that topic, including the possibility of the Knicks bringing back shooting guard Landry Shamet.
"I’m sure they have touched base with other vets as well. Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook are among the lead guards still on the market. Teams are wondering if Washington will agree to a buyout with veteran guard Marcus Smart. For what it’s worth, the Knicks don’t seem to be exclusively focused on ball-handling guards with that last spot. New York still sees Landry Shamet as a possibility and Shamet remains open to returning to New York."
The Knicks are coming off their best season this century. They won 51 games, earned the third seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and reached the conference finals for the first time in 25 years. New York fell two games short of the NBA Finals, falling to the Indiana Pacers, but the table is set for another deep playoff run. All five starters are back, led by All-NBA Second Teamer Jalen Brunson. The Knicks also improved their bench, adding shooting guard Jordan Clarkson and forward Guerschon Yabusele via free agency.
New York sorely needed to improve its depth, which was lacking at times last year. That was particularly evident against the Pacers, which used a great bench to help dispatch the Knicks.
Clarkson and Yabusele are a great start, but the Knicks could use a little more help, whether it be in the form of Simmons or someone else.
