3. Low-risk, high-reward signings rule the day
To the possible disappointment of some, New York wasn’t in the running for the services of free agents like LeBron James or Paul George. While the Knicks never really had a chance at the top level free agents for many reasons, for the team to not even attempt a pursuit shows a growth in the franchise.
Perry and Mills decided to look elsewhere, which ended up netting them Mario Hezonja and Noah Vonleh, two former top-10 picks cast aside by their former teams, on one-year deals with the Knicks.
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Hezonja, the fifth overall pick by the Orlando Magic in 2015, was supposed to be a volume scorer capable of highlight-reel dunks. He averaged just 6.9 points per game during his three-year tenure.
Vonleh projected as a modern stretch forward when he was taken ninth overall in 2014 by the Charlotte Hornets. He’s bounced around two other teams since then, never gaining traction with either.
Neither one of these singings looks great on paper, but there’s still hope for these two former lottery picks, and that’s what makes them beautiful moves by New York.
If one or both of these guys pan out in any sort of way, the Knicks can re-sign them to long-term deals, adding to their core of the future. Because of these short-term deals, though, there’s no real financial ramification should they flop and the team can simply cut bait with them next offseason.
Wrote the other day about how Knicks are Second Drafting their way through this rebuild. Today, they reached an agreement w/ Noah Vonleh, which @IanBegley reported first. Now have NBA-high 9 lottery picks on the roster and 6 drafted since 2014 — 2nd most. https://t.co/0ur69oqzZl
— Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) July 24, 2018
In 30 starts last season, Hezonja put up 14.0 points and 5.6 rebounds per game on a shooting line of .460/.371/.833. Vonleh is still just 22 years of age and averaged 10.9 points and 12.8 rebounds per 36 minutes in 2018.
These guys certainly aren’t without talent, it’s just a matter of prying it out of them.
After years of overpaying for aging stars, the Knicks have been in the market for players in need of second chances without bringing upon themselves a long-term albatross. Emmanuel Mudiay and Trey Burke were the first two in this experiment, and now Hezonja and Vonleh are next.
They may not all be winners, but it never hurts to take a flier on guys that bring nothing to lose and everything to gain.