New York Knicks: 4 players NYK needs to target this offseason

The New York Knicks should target former All-Star Victor Oladipo in free agency

Throughout his first four seasons in the NBA, Victor Oladipo averaged 15.9 points per game — not too bad, but he needed to improve to live up to his expectations as the No. 2 pick of the 2013 NBA Draft.

It certainly didn’t help having four coaches in four years — one being an interim. But landing with the Indiana Pacers as a part of the Paul George trade, he blossomed into an All-Star. He averaged 23.1 points per game on .477/.371/.799 shooting splits while adding in 4.3 assists, 5.2 rebounds and a league-leading 2.4 steals per game.

This level of play from Oladipo hasn’t been seen since the 2017-18 season, however. He did become an All-Star in 2018-19, but he only played 36 games. The two years after, he played just a total of 52 games and bounced between the Pacers, Houston Rockets and Miami Heat.

Now, he’s recovering from a right quad injury and could be ready to play in November, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. In the meantime, he’s also entering free agency.

Insert the New York Knicks into the equation. The organization had interest in trading for the shooting guard earlier this year, but ultimately bowed out.

This time around, the Knicks won’t have to give up assets, just cap space. Just how much is yet to be determined. Oladipo’s last contract was four years, $85 million. But given his lack of availability due to injuries in the past few years, the asking price may be lower.

As long as the deal doesn’t surpass $25 million per year, it would be worth signing Oladipo. The Knicks should limit the deal to three years and also add a team option to the third year.

A healthy Oladipo easily becomes a second All-Star alongside Julius Randle. He is a good scorer — inside and out — and can play tenacious defense which suits Tom Thibodeau’s scheme well.

This doesn’t solve the Knicks’ point guard problem as they most likely would not be able to sign Oladipo and sign Collin Sexton long-term. So, if Oladipo is the major signing for the offseason, the Knicks will need to find a cheaper starting point guard. New York would also need to shift RJ Barrett to the small forward position, which would not be a problem.

Given his recent history of injuries, Oladipo may not be offered a large contract nor would it be a long one. Sure, it’s a risk, especially since he won’t be available until at least November, but it’s one the Knicks should take.