New York Knicks: More draft picks and less free agency
By Eric Snyder
Costly free agents
Minus the Brooklyn Nets, no team in the NBA has more needs than the New York Knicks. By trading for and then re-signing Carmelo Anthony the Knicks put themselves in a tough position.
This past season, Phil Jackson tried a few short-term fixes in Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah. The end result was a mismatched team of washed up former All-Stars and glorified D-League players.
This upcoming offseason will yield more opportunities for the Knicks to overspend in free agency. Kyle Lowry, Rudy Gay, Gordon Hayward and others enter the market looking for better opportunity and long-term money.
Of the three, Hayward will be too expensive for the Knicks without shedding some salary. That fact is made more unfortunate by the Knicks’ need for a player just like Hayward.
Kyle Lowry would fulfill the Knicks’ point guard need and would be an upgrade over Rose. However, it is likely Lowry will go West to avoid LeBron James at all costs. Rudy Gay is coming off an ACL injury and the Knicks would be foolish to consider him. Nonetheless, Phil has roster spots to fill and will likely overspend like the Knicks always do.
If the New York Knicks want real and lasting change, they must focus more on the draft and less on free agency. Whether they keep Carmelo or not, next year will not be the Knicks year for a deep playoff run.