New York Knicks: Best Move They Did, Didn’t Make

The New York Knicks have a rising star in Kristaps Porzingis. Did they make moves in the offseason to protect his future?

Perspective often determines who wins and who loses. The Warriors won by signing Kevin Durant, but the Oklahoma City lost that same transaction.

Did the Los Angeles Clippers “win” in that situation because they are now considered the third-best team in the Western Conference, or did they “lose” because their slim chances of beating the Warriors just became even thinner?

In the same way, every offseason for an NBA team can be viewed as a positive and a negative, a win and a loss. Sorting through each transaction helps understand the ups and downs for a team. Today we make our way to the Big Apple to see how the New York Knicks did this offseason.

Phil Jackson and company added a new coach and three new starters to a team trying to find an identity around a pair of stars — one aging past his prime and one just starting to glimpse it. What was the best move they made this offseason, and what move did they leave undone?

Best Move They Made: Signing Courtney Lee

Last season the New York Knicks trotted out a trio of guards at the 2, none playing well enough to be a long-term option at the position. The worst of the three, Sasha Vujacic, was brought back as a reserve. Arron Afflalo exercised his player option to hit the open market and signed with the Sacramento Kings.

Langston Galloway is a player the Knicks should have kept around. He would have been an inexpensive backup who is still developing, and his ball-handling could let him swing between both guard positions. His contract with the New Orleans Pelicans was only possible after the Knicks rescinded his qualifying offer.

More from New York Knicks

• NBA Trades: This swing-for-the-fences deal is a must for the Knicks
• Ranking Leon Rose’s three best and worst moves as Knicks President
• New York Knicks: Why Julius Randle is essential for the Knicks
• Should the Knicks trade up into the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft?
• Knicks 2023 offseason primer: free agents, trades, draft needs and more

But the Knicks added three other guards, one being Courtney Lee, who willl start at shooting guard. Lee came to the Knicks from Memphis by way of Charlotte, where he was traded at last season’s trade deadline.

The defining moment of Lee’s career came in 2009, when as a rookie playing for the Orlando Magic he missed a game-winning alley-oop layup in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. But in seven seasons since Lee has distinguished himself as a valuable starter in the league.

On offense, Lee can shoot the basketball. During his years in Memphis, he was seemingly the only player who could. Not a strong ball handler, Lee thrives behind the arc as a catch-and-shoot player. He has shot at least 37 percent from distance in each of the last six seasons.

For a team starting Derrick Rose and Carmelo Anthony, Lee’s perimeter defense is every bit as valuable to the Knicks. While on the Grizzlies, Lee was the worst rotation guard when compared to Mike Conley and Tony Allen, but on the Knicks he instantly becomes the best.

With the long arms of Joakim Noah and Kristaps Porzingis protecting the rim, Lee doesn’t have to be elite. He needs to be competent, and that’s something he can do. At 6’5” he can match up against taller 2-guards, and his tireless work ethic — emblematic of his time in Memphis — helps him stay with opposing players.

Lee’s contract will take him to his age-34 season, a concern for New York’s long-term books. But after committing to Joakim Noah for four years, it became clear the Knicks wanted a cohesive lineup of veterans that would stay together for years.

For a team that had nothing from the position last season, the Knicks have a solid starter in place for years. That might not be enough to propel them into contention, but it keeps them out of the basement. Courtney Lee will turn out to be a smart signing for New York.

Best Move They Didn’t Make: Maximizing Their Roster’s Versatility

Last January, Kevin Durant was asked about New York Knicks’ rookie forward Kristaps Porzingis. He responded that the Latvian’s combination of shooting and rim protection made him a “unicorn” in the league.

Durant was right – those players are incredibly rare. He also was familiar with such creatures, because his teammate Serge Ibaka was a unicorn in his own right.

When the Thunder slid Ibaka to center, and usual small forward Durant to the 4, it unlocked nearly unbeatable lineups. Golden State’s “Death Lineup” saw Draymond Green shift to center. The Miami Heat went to four straight Finals with Chris Bosh anchoring the team at center instead of power forward.

The New York Knicks’ highest ceiling involves Kristaps Porzingis at center, able to pull opposing big men out of the paint with his range. He has the size to play the pivot, and already protects the rim at a high level.

Live Feed

Daily Knicks

In addition, putting Carmelo at power forward unlocks his greatest potential, as Anthony holds up well on defense against modern stretch-4s. On offense he also provides shooting better suited for a position lower than normal.

New York and new head coach Jeff Hornacek know these things, and perhaps they intend to give both Porzingis and Anthony time at their best positions. But in signing Joakim Noah to a four-year contract, the Knicks have locked themselves into a starting lineup that forces their two best players to stay in their second-best positions.

Signing a 31-year-old center to a four-year contract brings its own issues just on the surface, but Noah’s presence hurts this team by simply being on the roster. He is a great player, one who will anchor their defense and provide an experienced voice in the locker room. Few players around the league are the competitor Noah is. But he lowers this team’s ceiling.

When the Knicks traded away Robin Lopez, they had the opportunity to start Porzingis at the 5. Then their target in free agency would have been a wing rather than a center. Instead they handed Noah $72 million to follow Derrick Rose to the Big Apple.

In fairness to the Knicks, the market for wings was significantly drier than that of centers. It would have been much more difficult to find a starting-caliber player to start at the 3 than it was to find a center.

But that also comes back around to question why they handed Joakim Noah $18 million per season if there was such a flush market for centers. With Porzingis and Kyle O’Quinn already on the roster, center was not a position of need. Instead the Knicks threw their largest contract of the offseason at an aging, injury-prone center before the market evened out.

For a team with several versatile players, the Knicks had the opportunity to maximize their options and field a flexible defense with switching capabilities. Instead they will tighten spacing and delay the best possible setting for Kristaps Porzingis to reach his peak potential.

More hoops habit: New York Knicks: 2016 Offseason Grades

That phrase applies to the franchise as a whole. The Knicks are now tied to Kristaps Porzingis for the next decade. With massive contracts handed out to players in their thirties, New York is weighing down its long-term potential. Short-term wins will excite fans, but limiting this roster’s versatility and showing an inability to prioritize the team’s best lineups does not bode well for the future.