New York Knicks: Complete grades for the 2019 NBA offseason
Elfrid Payton signing
When the New York Knicks completed their blockbuster trade with the Dallas Mavericks the biggest piece to come back was Dennis Smith Jr. Smith is an explosive point guard with great athleticism but needs to continue developing his point guard attributes.
With him now on the roster, in addition to Frank Ntilikina and Kadeem Allen on a two-way deal, it would make sense for the Knicks to add a veteran to help them develop. The player they ended up with is Elfrid Payton.
Payton was selected by Scott Perry when he was with the Orlando Magic front office. He is someone that Perry had looked into acquiring last season as well, and now he has got his man.
Last season with the Pelicans, he showed that he can stuff a stat sheet, recording six triple-doubles in the 42 games he played. He averaged 10.6 points, 7.6 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game.
At 25 years old, he fits the profile of the kind of player the Knicks targeted this season, but his pairing with Smith makes little sense.
Both players struggle to shoot the ball, so they are unlikely to play many minutes alongside each other in the backcourt. New York has already said that Payton will have every chance to start.
That creates healthy competition and could push Smith to improve, but fans will be disappointed if Smith isn’t given a legitimate chance to develop and reach his potential.
As the centerpiece of a deal that saw their best draft picks since Patrick Ewing shipped out, relegating him to the bench that quickly is not a good look.
This grade isn’t a knock on Payton as a player, but rather his fit on the roster. The contract he received isn’t obscene, as he will receive $8 million per year.
However, pushing Ntilikina into an even smaller role and keeping Allen off the roster altogether doesn’t seem like the right decision for a rebuilding team.