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New York Knicks: 3 players they should bring back next season

By Orestis Rantis

MEMPHIS, TN - NOVEMBER 25: Noah Vonleh #32, and Trey Burke #23 of the New York Knicks help Emmanuel Mudiay #1 of the New York Knicks up during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies on November 25, 2018 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
MEMPHIS, TN - NOVEMBER 25: Noah Vonleh #32, and Trey Burke #23 of the New York Knicks help Emmanuel Mudiay #1 of the New York Knicks up during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies on November 25, 2018 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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New York Knicks
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2. Emmanuel Mudiay

This may be a shot in the dark, but Emmanuel Mudiay might deserve a long-term spot on the team after all.

When the Knicks decided to trade Porzingis in exchange for Dennis Smith Jr., it was made clear that Smith would be the go-to point guard for the team. This ultimately led Fizdale to move Mudiay to the bench, giving the better share of the minutes to the newly acquired point guard.

Mudiay’s spot as a backup, though, might not be safe at all. After trading away their big contracts, the Knicks basically freed up the money to sign two max players from the upcoming free agency class.

A point guard in Kyrie Irving has been linked with a move to New York for quite some time now, and with him not being totally pleased with the Boston Celtics, his departure looks more inevitable than ever. Teams are most likely to go hard after Irving, in hopes of encouraging the NBA star to sign with them.

It is more than certain that the New York Knicks will pursue Kyrie, though his intentions still remain unknown. This is exactly where Mudiay’s name enters the conversation.

He has definitely been a more than pleasant surprise and one of the very few bright spots in Madison Square Garden. Mudiay averaged 16.3 points and 4.3 assists in the 32 games that he started as the point guard of the team, making it really difficult to just discard him moving on to the next season.

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