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Knicks Rumors: DeMarcus Cousins and Marcus, Markieff Morris on NY's FA Radar
June 25, 2019
The New York Knicks have reportedly expanded their list of free-agent targets to include Golden State Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins as well as twin brothers Marcus Morris of the Boston Celtics and Markieff Morris of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated reported Tuesday the Knicks' group of potential secondary options in free agency also includes DeAndre Jordan, who joined the team in a January trade during the final year of his contract, and New Orleans Pelicans power forward Julius Randle.
New York remains in the market for several of the summer's biggest names—the Warriors' Kevin Durant, Toronto Raptors' Kawhi Leonard, Boston Celtics' Kyrie Irving, Charlotte Hornets' Kemba Walker, Philadelphia 76ers' Tobias Harris and Orlando Magic's Nikola Vucevic—but KD's Achilles tear complicated matters, per Spears.
The Brooklyn Nets are now the favorite to land Durant, who may miss the entire 2019-20 season while recovering from the injury, and it's unclear whether the Knicks will be able to attract any of the other top players without the two-time NBA Finals MVP.
Although the team will chase other free agents if it misses out on Durant, Irving and Co., it doesn't sound likely New York is going to make any lucrative long-term investments.
On Monday, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reported the Knicks are planning to "punt their $70 million-plus in cap space" to 2020 if they miss out on this year's top targets.
So New York will likely attempt to sign its other targets to either one-year contracts or two-year deals with the second season being a team option to maintain maximum financial flexibility for next year.
Less than a month ago, the Knicks had a chance to land top prospect Zion Williamson in the draft and were speculated as the top choice for both Durant and Irving. They didn't win the lottery, instead taking RJ Barrett with the third overall pick, and now their free-agent plans are up in the air.
It's not a promising start to the offseason as New York seeks to end a six-year playoff drought.