New York Knicks: 2016 Offseason Grades

The New York Knicks splurged on big names in 2016 NBA free agency, but was it the right call? Here are their complete offseason grades.

With a core of Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis, the New York Knicks were clearly a franchise being tugged in two different directions heading into the offseason.

Coming off a 32-win season that was considered an improvement from their bottoming-out 17-win campaign the year before, the Knicks had no reason to tank since they didn’t own their 2016 first round pick.

Still, Phil Jackson put just enough talent around Melo to keep his 32-year-old star from being disgruntled for the 2015-16 season, which wound up being a simultaneous improvement and disappointment.

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None of Jackson’s contracts from the last two summers — namely, guys like Robin Lopez, Arron Afflalo, Derrick Williams and Jose Calderon — were long enough to clog up the Knicks’ future cap space as the NBA’s salary cap prepared to skyrocket, and though the team was largely disappointing last year, Porzingis’ promising rookie season helped make up for it.

Facing a 2016 offseason without a draft pick but armed with a bundle of free agency money, Phil Jackson lost his patience and went all in on providing Melo with more star power and KP with the opportunity to make his first postseason appearance in Year 2.

The question is, were Jackson’s all-in moves a shortsighted blunder? And will the Knicks actually contend for anything more than a bottom-rung playoff spot in 2016-17? Here’s a look at every move New York made this summer with complete offseason grades.

Next: The D-Rose Trade

The D-Rose Trade

In a deal with the Chicago Bulls to start off their offseason, the Knicks traded for Derrick Rose, Justin Holiday and a 2017 second round pick, sending Robin Lopez, Jose Calderon and Jerian Grant to the Windy City in return.

Just when it felt like the New York Knicks were doing the right thing — trying to build around Kristaps Porzingis with the kind of full-scale overhaul this franchise has badly needed for decades — Jackson made a trade that would’ve been highway robbery five years ago.

In the present day and age, however, trading for a washed-up and injury-prone point guard whose chief value comes in his star power and marketability is the exact kind of short-sighted move that has defined the Knicks for far too long.

A core of Derrick Rose, Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis and Joakim Noah sounds great on paper…if that paper came from the year 2011. The reality is that in 2016, that’s an awful lot of ball-dominant, injury-prone players to put on the court together.

You can understand the Knicks wanting to put a more competitive team around Melo, and the truth is that D-Rose’s flashes of greatness last year were far better than anything Calderon or Grant brought to the court.

After the All-Star Break, Rose averaged a more respectable 17.4 points, 4.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game on .468/.375/.784 shooting splits.

But Rose’s flashes of his former self were too few and far between — even if the Knicks actually intend to let him walk in free agency next summer, which, if we’re being honest, seems unlikely after they spent so much money to assemble a playoff team.

The cap room New York was projected to have next summer is starting to shrink up, and the first domino was Rose. The Knicks’ offseason was dedicated to putting a playoff-caliber team around Melo, and if D-Rose manages to stay relatively healthy while helping New York back to the postseason, is there any doubt Jackson will re-sign him to a massively inflated deal next summer?

Taking a one-year flier on a former superstar isn’t the problem; giving up assets on shorter, cheaper deals (Lopez and Grant) for what might become a bloated contract is the issue. All in all, this trade felt like a waste since having so cap flexibility (and, ideally, draft picks) was New York’s best ticket into a new era.

Instead, the Knicks went and added Rose’s teammate Noah, essentially making this team a version of last year’s underwhelming Bulls squad with Melo and Porzingis thrown in. New head coach Jeff Hornacek might enjoy Rose’s dynamic athleticism while he’s out there, but how long will that be?

Since Jackson avoided signing useful role players to short one- or two-year deals, the Knicks ate into next year’s cap space, when 2017 free agency will be a bonanza. Perhaps Rose can build on his first full-ish season since 2011-12, but there’s only so much of the ball to go around between him, Melo and the Zinger.

Grade: D+

Next: Signing Noah

Signing Noah

If anyone had doubts that the Derrick Rose trade signaled Jackson’s commitment to winning now, the Joakim Noah signing confirmed it.

With Noah coming off a 2015-16 campaign where he averaged a career-low 4.3 points per game on 38.3 percent shooting and was limited to 29 games due to injuries, however, Jackson signing him to a four-year, $72 million deal was the free agency equivalent of a 2 a.m. “U up?” text.

To be fair, it was only two years ago that Noah won the Defensive Player of the Year Award and finished fourth in MVP voting, averaging 12.6 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.2 steals per game while carrying the Bulls to 48 wins — despite Rose’s absence and a trade that shipped away Luol Deng.

But Noah hasn’t looked like that guy in quite some time, missing 15 games in 2014-15 before his injury-riddled season last year. He’ll hold his own on the glass, and perhaps his mediocrity last season amounted to playing through injury for a coach who moved him to bench duty, but $18 million a year for the next four years is a risky proposition nonetheless.

Noah has shot only 45.2 percent from the restricted area over the last two years, a terrible percentage for any big man. He’s been injury-prone and his play on both ends of the floor has declined in each of the last two seasons, making this four-year deal that much more concerning for a 31-year-old seven-footer.

Furthermore, there should be concerns about how Noah and Kristaps Porzingis will fit alongside each other in the frontcourt. KP’s natural position for the future is the 5, which puts more pressure on him to knock down threes as a stretch-4 to make sure New York’s offense has enough space to operate.

Noah could shut a lot of people up in 2016-17, and perhaps a change of scenery will do him wonders after struggling to fit in with Fred Holberg’s system. But recreating the 2011 Chicago Bulls — five years later — on such massive deals is a worrisome gamble at best.

Grade: C-

Next: Adding Lee

Courting Courtney

Not all of the Knicks’ offseason moves were so questionable, however. By bringing aboard swingman Courtney Lee on a manageable four-year, $50 million contract, Jackson added a two-way player who will add a little substance to the flashier names like D-Rose and Noah.

Daily Knicks

Though he’s never stuck on a single team for three full seasons in his eight-year NBA career, Lee is a useful floor spacer who shot 37.8 percent from three-point range last year and has converted 38.4 percent of his long range attempts for his career.

Lee clearly addresses New York’s need at the shooting guard position, bringing stout defense in addition to his perimeter shooting. With Rose and Melo being ball-dominant players, replacing Arron Afflalo with a guy like Lee represents an upgrade since he doesn’t need the ball in his hands as much to be effective.

This signing doesn’t really raise New York’s ceiling as a second-round playoff team, but if Rose and/or Noah go down with injuries again, at least the Knicks will have a quality role player to rely on — even if he’s 30 years old and was just signed to a four-year deal.

Considering the Knicks were also pursuing Eric Gordon to fill this spot, signing Lee to this kind of bargain deal easily represents Jackson’s best move of the entire offseason.

Grade: A-

Next: Re-Signing Thomas

Re-Signing Thomas

If you’re looking for proof that the New York Knicks fanbase is actually a knowledgeable bunch that would be game for the long-term rebuild this team has needed for decades, look no further than their affinity for the underrated Lance Thomas.

With the Knicks re-signing Lance Thomas to a four-year, $27 million contract, those unfamiliar with his game might have raised their eyebrows for such a relatively unknown player.

But for those who have been paying dutiful attention, Thomas is a useful reserve, even if he’s already 28 years old. Last season, the 6’8″ small forward averaged 8.2 points and 2.2 rebounds per game while shooting 44.2 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from three-point range.

Though Thomas doesn’t really contribute anywhere other than the scoring column and the defensive end, that’ll be good enough for a reserve on a team hoping to challenge for a bottom-rung playoff spot.

Thomas doesn’t often get the credit he deserves, but he’s a solid catch-and-shoot player who also brings the effort on the defensive end. For such a bargain price tag, the Knicks should be more than satisfied with this extension.

Grade: B+

Next: Jennings Joins

Jennings Joins

The Brandon Jennings acquisition is hard to judge because the bargain price tag ($5 million) and incredibly short length (one year) would make this an absolute home run if not for Jennings’ recent decline in health and with his game in general.

Still, the Knicks needed a backup point guard after jettisoning Calderon and Grant (and losing Langston Galloway to the New Orleans Pelicans in free agency).

Getting a former talent like Jennings at that price is a steal under the new salary cap, provided he can bring at least some of the skills he once showcased before injuries and too many new situations derailed his career.

Though he’s only 26 years old and is entering his eighth NBA season, Jennings will be suiting up for his fourth team and is coming off the worst season of his career, averaging 6.9 points and 3.5 assists per game on .368/.329/.731 shooting splits in his 48 appearances for the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic.

If those numbers aren’t gross enough for you, consider that over the last two seasons, Jennings has played in only 89 of a possible 162 games over the last two seasons. Simply put, he hasn’t been the same since his ACL tear ended his 2014-15 campaign two Januarys ago.

Perhaps a change of scenery on a playoff-competitive team might provide Jennings with a little more stability, but no one should forget that he’s only shot better than 40 percent from the field in two of his seven NBA seasons.

This is a low-risk, medium-reward kind of move. The cap space is negligible and the length of the contract makes cutting ties easy if it doesn’t pan out, but between Rose, Noah and Jennings, New York’s training staff might be busier than ever in 2016-17.

Grade: B

Next: Re-Signing Sasha

Re-Signing Sasha

On a one-year contract worth the veteran minimum, Sasha Vujacic can hardly be considered an expense. As long as Hornacek isn’t feeding him too many minutes (read: any minutes), Vujacic’s Triangle expertise could come in handy for New York’s bevy of new guards.

Unfortunately, his familiarity with the Triangle and relationship with Phil Jackson is pretty much the only reason he’s lasted this long in the NBA, let alone secured yet another contract with the Knicks here in 2016, the year of our Lord.

To be fair, Vujacic isn’t entirely worthless. He shot a decent 36.4 percent from three-point range on the year, and over the last few weeks of the season, he actually lived up to his billing as an honest-to-God useful veteran.

Vujacic provides a bit of backcourt depth for a team that will be relying on the injury-prone Derrick Rose and Brandon Jennings, so bringing him back on a veteran minimum deal is certainly defensible.

Here’s hoping Jackson and/or Hornacek don’t get any ideas about playing him behind Courtney Lee at the 2-spot over the newly acquired Justin Holiday.

Grade: C

Next: Odds And Ends

Odds And Ends

To fill out the rest of their roster, the Knicks turned to international players and D-League/Summer League prospects, starting with Lithuania’s Mindaugas Kuzminskas (three years, $9 million) and Spain’s Willy Hernangomez (four years, $5.9 million).

Kuzminskas, a 6’8″ small forward, presents the Knicks with a Lance Thomas understudy. At 26 years old he’s not done growing as a player and who knows? Perhaps he manages to crack the rotation and thrill the Garden as one of those out-of-nowhere success stories.

Hernangomez is a 22-year-old center who provides a bit of depth behind Joakim Noah on the front line and played with Kristaps Porzingis in Spain for Sevilla.

Unlike his brother Juan Hernangomez, a stretch-4 selected by the Denver Nuggets in this year’s draft, Willy — a 2015 second round pick — is an old-fashioned banger in the post, but it’s unclear how ready he’d be to contribute if Noah has problems staying healthy again.

To add a bit more frontcourt depth, the Knicks also added Marshall Plumlee, who went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft before averaging 6.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game for New York’s Summer League team.

To round things out, the Knicks made up for their blunder last summer by finally signing Summer League standout Maurice Ndour to a two-year contract.

After averaging 9.6 points per game in five appearances for the Knicks last summer, Ndour was snatched up by the Dallas Mavericks before being waived prior to the start of the season. Now he’ll get his chance to prove what he can do in New York after a one-year delay.

After adding former Wichita State standout Ron Baker on a two-year, partially guaranteed contract, the Knicks also signed Stanford guard Chasson Randle to a partially guaranteed deal, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. This puts the roster at 17 for training camp, leaving Baker, Randle, Plumlee and J.P. Tokoto to battle for the final roster spot.

Randle was a stud for the Knicks in his three Summer League games, averaging 18.3 points, 5.0 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game. For a team lacking backcourt depth, he could be called upon sooner than expected.

Baker also performed well in his five Summer League games for the Knicks, averaging 14.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game on 37 percent shooting rom three-point range.

None of these signings move the needle much for the Knicks, since none of these players are expected to play significant minutes. As smart as investing in low-risk, bargain-contract options is for a franchise that’s badly needed a proper rebuild, it’s a bit odd to see the Knicks round out the roster this way after going all in on being competitive now.

Grade: C+

Next: Overall

Overall

With a core of Derrick Rose, Courtney Lee, Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis and Joakim Noah, the Knicks are a playoff team on paper. Anything goes in the Eastern Conference, but New York will also be heavily relying on four players — Rose, Melo, Noah and Brandon Jennings — who have been notoriously banged up over the last few seasons.

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In 2011, a core like this would have been all the rage in the NBA. Five years later, it seems like an ill-fated attempt to reunite the Chicago Bulls team that never came to fruition when Melo chose to re-sign in New York over migrating to the Windy City.

If Rose and Noah can somehow both stay healthy, the Knicks have a decent shot at making it to the second round of the playoffs. That’d be a substantial improvement for a 30-win team, it’d give KP playoff experience early on, Melo would get his wish of playing for a competitive team and the Knicks would be an entertaining team at the very least.

But between the injury-proneness of this roster, the ball-dominant nature of both Rose and Melo, the fact that the Knicks probably gave up the best player in the Rose trade (Lopez) and the long-term ramifications if this team is relatively successful next season, this offseason was a bit of a misstep.

Rather than doing what everyone knows must be done sooner or later — trade Carmelo Anthony for a trove of young players and future assets to rebuild around KP — the Knicks went in the opposite direction, trying to haphazardly assemble a contender around an aging Melo before his prime is over.

Is a second round playoff appearance — the best-case scenario for this season, in all likelihood — worth the gaudy extension Rose will likely earn in 2017 if he plays well and wins over the fan support?

Would an aging core of Melo and Noah be attractive to a free agent like Russell Westbrook next summer in free agency, even if Rose was just a one-year rental? And can they win as currently constructed anyway?

KP is still extremely young and playoff experience is valuable, but wouldn’t bottoming out and capitalizing on owning their first round pick — in a deep 2017 draft, no less — have presented the Knicks with a more stable long-term rebuild than this current one that will look silly four years from now when Noah is 35, Melo is 36 and Lee is 34?

Tanking is not always the solution, but for a franchise that’s needed to avoid big name has-beens and properly rebuild from the ground up for decades now, the Knicks’ offseason represents another shortsighted misstep, especially when one remembers they gave up on the rarely used Jerian Grant and promising youngster Langston Galloway in the process.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are still vastly superior in the East, and after watching a younger Festus Ezeli get signed to a bargain two-year, $17.4 million deal, Noah’s massive deal is enough to turn anyone’s stomach.

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New York has a good chance of being a playoff team again in 2016-17, but for the long-term and the short-term future, don’t expect much more than that.

Grade: C-