Last season, the New York Knicks had their first season in nearly a decade that can be defined as successful. Despite entering the season projected to win no more than 24 games, they finished the season with a 41-31 record and ended their eight-year playoff drought.
It’s important for the Knicks front office to understand that while it’s important to build off of last season’s success, they overachieved. Yes, they made the playoffs, but that was largely due to all the injuries and time missed due to covid-19 protocols that teams like the Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, Charlotte Hornets, and Chicago Bulls dealt with. Had this been a normal season, the Knicks would have likely been in the play-in tournament at best.
As long as the front office doesn’t get ahead of themselves and try to speed up the timeline, this Knicks team will be just fine and should be true title contenders in two to three seasons.
The New York Knicks have the most money to spend this offseason with approximately $54 million in cap space, and they intend to spend it wisely.
The Knicks added some much-needed shooting in the draft when they selected Quentin Grimes with the 25th overall pick. They then added some defense and play-making in the second round when they selected Miles McBride, Jericho Sims, and Rokas Jokubaitis.
Now that the draft is behind us and free agency is about to get underway, these next few weeks will be crucial in determining the team’s future success. The Knicks have the most money out of any team to spend this off-season with approximately $54 million in cap space, and they intend to spend it wisely.
This isn’t a star-studded free agency class, but there are some quality free agents on the market. In particular, there are some really good restricted free agents that can help the Knicks move the needle and take another step forward in the rebuild. Let’s explore some restricted free agents the Knicks should target and have a realistic chance at acquiring.