The New York Knicks were one of the surprise packets of the 2020-21 NBA season. They became a defensive-oriented team under Tom Thibodeau and managed to finish in the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. They lost in the first round to the Atlanta Hawks but they got the experience of getting there.
This also makes New York a destination that star players might want to go to again. They have a team that is successful but needs to have at least another star in order to get to the next level. The Knicks have only $54 million in committed salary so are in a tremendous position to make some great moves this offseason.
The Knicks built this team last season where they signed Nerlens Noel after the Thunder decided to blow up their roster. This was especially important to the Knicks as starting center Mitchell Robinson went down with injury having only played 31 games for the season.
The New York Knicks were the most surprising teams in the NBA last season. Here are five roster moves they need to make this coming offseason.
The Knicks traded Dennis Smith Jr. and a 2021 second-round pick to the Detroit Pistons, receiving Derrick Rose in return. Rose was incredible, coming off the bench for the majority of his time with the Knicks. He shone in their playoff series, keeping his team in the series when those around him were not performing well.
The other move the Knicks made was to trade Ignas Brazdekis and Austin Rivers. They received Terrance Ferguson, Vincent Poirier, Emir Preldzic, a 2021 second-round draft pick, and a 2024 second-round pick. The Knicks then waived Poirier and Ferguson three days later.
With all this in mind, let’s take a look at the five roster moves they need to make.
New York Knicks offseason move No. 1: Guarantee Julius Randle
The Knicks signed Julius Randle to a three-year contract, with the last year non-guaranteed. This was a case of the Knicks taking an insurance policy in the final year of the deal. The way that Randle played last season should mean the Knicks guarantee next season’s $19.8 million.
Randle struggled in the playoffs against the Hawks but that was due to a lack of a consistent third option to take the pressure off him. He still averaged good numbers but his efficiency went down thanks to the pressure exerted by their defense.
In the regular season, Randle averaged 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game. He took the pressure of starting point guard Elfrid Payton. This meant that when Randle was stopped, Payton was then unable to perform at a level that could help the Knicks. With Payton out of contract, this will surely cost him a spot on the roster next season.
If the Knicks can put another star alongside Randle to help spread the load around then this will make Randle and Rose’s jobs easier, should the veteran point guard decide to re-sign with the franchise. If Randle is guaranteed, this will make the team hard to beat again.
New York Knicks offseason move No. 2: Re-sign Derrick Rose
The Pistons made the midseason trade to secure Rose and it is lucky that they did. As the playoffs came around, he was the most consistent player, keeping the Knicks in the series with only sporadic input from other players around him.
He has expressed an interest in staying a member of the Knicks, he seemed to love playing in New York. If this is the case, then it is only going to be a matter of price as to whether Rose comes back to the Big Apple next season.
While he is back playing amazing basketball, Rose has a very patchy past when it comes to injury and this has been a big reason that he has come off the bench for the last few years. Rose showed that he still has what it takes to start when was called on to do the job in the playoffs.
At 32, Rose is probably going to get one more decent contract. The biggest problem for the Knicks is that there are so many teams with cap space that will be looking for the X-Factor that Rose provides. He is missing a championship from his list of accolades and would be looking to rectify that.
New York Knicks offseason move No. 3: Find a starting point guard.
Last season, especially in the playoff the Knicks were hampered by their lack of quality at the starting point guard position. Elfrid Payton had the role this season, starting all 63 games that he played for the team last season.
He averaged a respectable 10.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 0.7 steals in 23.6 minutes per game. He continued to be poor from beyond the arc, shooting the ball at 28.6 percent which is just slightly below his career number of 28.9 percent. He also continued to be an appalling free-throw shooter, going at 68.2 percent from the line.
However, the problem for Payton was that he was completely outclassed when it came to playoff basketball. He played a total of 13 minutes in the five-game series, scoring one point and committing one foul. He missed all five shots that he took. He had no answer to the backcourt of Bogdan Bogdanovic and Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks.
The Knicks, as mentioned before, are blessed with a large amount of cap space and they will be looking to splash money around. They are looking at the Phoenix Suns’ backup Cameron Payne and are potentially going to target Sharife Cooper in the upcoming NBA draft. They are even well placed to make a trade for established, well-credentialed point guards.
New York Knicks offseason move No. 4: Trade for a star.
This move could follow on directly from the previous one. The Knicks are in desperate need of a second star in their starting lineup to play alongside Julius Randle. If they cannot do this then they will become another very good regular season team who are knocked out in the first round of the playoffs for the next few years.
It would be best for the Knicks if they could pair Randle with a star point guard but given the way that he ran the offense last season is not a necessity. However, given the number of point guards who are reportedly looking for a new home, this is the best place to start.
The Knicks are in a unique position to absorb a salary the size of Damian Lillard’s Russell Westbrook’s, John Wall’s, or even Ben Simmons’ contracts. The problem the Knicks have is that they lack the assets to make this happen by themselves. They need to get a third or fourth team involved to make this a reality.
One player who could benefit the Knicks is Kemba Walker and the OKC Thunder are not looking to get much in return for him. They are in the process of rebuilding and may accept Kevin Knox, some draft picks, and maybe another player.
New York Knicks offseason move No. 5: Exercise Mitchell Robinson’s team option
The Knicks’ choice of starting center, Mitchell Robinson, only played 29 games last season. In those games, he averaged 8.3 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, and 1.1 steals in 27.5 minutes per game. He was a key piece for the Knicks before he went down due to injury.
Robinson averaged an incredible 3.6 offensive rebounds per game which helped him shoot the ball from the field at 65.3 percent. He only took 5.7 shots per game, meaning that his efficiency allowed Randle to shoot more from the perimeter where he hit an awesome 41.1 percent.
The big man was also the lynchpin of the Knicks defense. He made life harder on the opposition with his solid rim protection. The Knicks also had the talents of Nerlens Noel for rim protection meaning that teams struggled to score in the paint against the defense. He also got into the passing lanes and poked the ball away, again making it hard to score.
Robinson is due $1.8 million next season meaning that the Knicks will still have a massive amount of cap space that they can use. They could then extend Robinson to keep his talents in New York for the foreseeable future.