5 Tempting Free Agents the NY Knicks Should Avoid
A star player for a New York Knicks executive in rebuild mode is like a hot piece of pizza for a person on a diet.
They say they'll be good. They'll be patient. They'll do the shopping, chop the vegetables, chew slowly...but then they pass by one pizza place. There's another on the next corner. It would be so easy. It all draws them in, and suddenly all the promises they've made are forgotten, and they're eating off a paper plate with grease dripping down their forearms.
And that's how it could be for the Knicks this offseason. There are several tempting free agents that could distract them from their goals.
That isn't to say that everything delicious is bad for them. But here's what the Knicks must avoid: anyone who's going to disrupt the development of the team. Being old or expensive or cocky or a minutes-hogging superstar shouldn't necessarily count a player out—but the wrong combination of those qualities might.
You realize after the second slice of pizza that you shouldn't have ordered four slices, but you'll still eat all four. It's just like a team will eat all four years of a contract they should never have given that over-30 superstar player, even if the last two years make them feel slightly ill. You tell yourself you'll still eat that salad when you get home, but you're too stuffed to have room for salad—just like a team doesn't have available cap space for essential role players or game minutes to develop young talent once they've invested in Mr. Max Contract.
With that in mind, here are a few players the Knicks should resist this offseason.
Isaiah Thomas
1 of 5
Isaiah Thomas has so many qualities that might charm New York: his spunky attitude, his willingness to call out the Cleveland Cavaliers' deficiencies, his brave drives that put his 5'9" frame into harm's way to pelt opponents with embarrassing barrages of layups.
And the fact that he's a point guard who's suffered a major injury in the past. The Knicks love those.
It isn't the 29-year-old's injury history, though, that gives one pause—although the franchise's history does indicate a string of bad luck in these cases—but rather Thomas' defense.
With David Fizdale, former master of the Grindhouse defense, now at the helm of this team, chances are high that the new Knicks will be focused on D. With his mightiest effort, Thomas could achieve the "not a liability" label, but he doesn't have the goods to ever be a defensive asset.
Chris Paul
2 of 5
A leader with exceptional court vision and an exquisite ability to distribute the ball, Chris Paul will be a gift to whichever young starting point guard has him giving advice on the bench. However, Paul is not at that stage of his career yet...or at least he doesn't think he is.
When he isn't getting injured at the worst possible moment, Paul is still playing star-level minutes at age 33—and he'll be looking for what could be his last major contract. Investing in an aging, injury-prone elite point for too much money for too many years would be a very Knicksy thing to do—and therefore the last thing they should do.
If the Knicks want a veteran to mentor their bevy of PGs, they could re-sign Jarrett Jack or make a big play for 36-year-old Tony Parker. If the Spurs do indeed woo LeBron James, they might want the cap space; if Parker was willing to continue playing in anything other than a San Antonio uniform, he'd be perfect for the job.
DeMarcus Cousins
3 of 5
DeMarcus Cousins' Achilles tear was possibly the most heart-wrenching injury of this injury-riddled NBA season.
Finally, after years of clashing with coaches, missing the playoffs and being labeled as a problem child, Boogie seemed to have found a home, success, acceptance and a real shot at a championship. So when he went down with the sort of injury that crushes All-Star careers, it was not just a loss for basketball, but a loss for dreams, feel-good stories and second chances.
We're all pulling for Boogie. Someone needs to give him that third chance, even if it means he takes a smaller contract this time. And that someone should be the New Orleans Pelicans, not the Knicks.
While it is possible that Cousins and KP could be as beautiful a frontcourt as Cousins and Anthony Davis were, they would have to wait too long for an answer to the question and the investment would be too deep if it didn't work. Cousins will not be fully recovered next season, if ever (nor will Porzingis), so the Knicks couldn't know how the pair would work until the 2019-20 season, when Porzingis himself becomes a free agent.
Even if Enes Kanter and Kyle O'Quinn both opt out and the Knicks decide not to re-sign them, the Knicks should resist the All-Star.
Jamal Crawford in the Wrong Contract
4 of 5
Actually, I'd rather enjoy seeing 38-year-old Jamal Crawford back in a Knicks uniform. He can still ball, he can teach the youngbloods anything they need to know about shooting or winning, and he's one of the most entertaining follows on Twitter.
But he's 38. Can the new front office be trusted to give Crawford a one-year deal, or will they dish out a lifetime contract like so many New York executives have done in the past? It would be a test of their mettle to see if they can resist.
If the Knicks truly need to splurge on a star and someone over 30, then they might consider 28-year-old Paul George and 34-year-old JJ Redick.
Redick's contribution to a young Philadelphia 76ers team as a veteran leader and a big scorer was on display all year, and the Knicks could certainly use his three-ball. George is one of the finest defenders in the league, would provide scoring support to Porzingis and works at a position the Knicks are weakest. Splashing out on George would still be an unwise indulgence for a team in rebuild mode, but probably the least fattening.
LeBron James
5 of 5
No.
No, no, no.
No.
This is not a knock on LeBron James. It has nothing to do with his age (33). It isn't even about Game 4 of the NBA Finals. It isn't that the Knicks would win fewer games with LeBron on the team; they would almost certainly win more.
However, if LeBron dons a jersey that reads "New York," he won't become a Knick; the Knicks will become Team LeBron. There's nobody on the roster (or staff) who comes anywhere close to James' equal (in experience and talent)—nobody to challenge or balance him. And without that, the team will not be able to develop an identity that doesn't revolve entirely around him.
It wouldn't be a team belonging to Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr., Frank Ntilikina, Lance Thomas and the others on the roster. It wouldn't be a team belonging to Fizdale, who only joined the league the same year as James (2003).
Veteran mentors are essential to a rebuilding team, but James is not in the stage of his career where he plays 20 minutes and gives helpful guidance from the bench. He is in the league MVP race and playing (practically) 48 minutes. The presence of LeBron would delay the Knicks' efforts to build a team around the (possible) superstar of tomorrow, Porzingis.
He's the greatest player in the world. Worth every penny he's paid by whoever decides to pay it and more. But someone else should pay him.
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