The New York Knicks suffered yet another ugly defeat on Tuesday as they fell to the Portland Trail Blazers 104-85. The game could be the final time Jimmer Fredette suits up for the Knicks as his contract is set to expire on Thursday. With the guard potentially leaving, backcourt help will be needed yet again, and the free agent market could offer some talent for New York.
The Knicks have been seeking backcourt help all season long as Jose Calderon, Jerian Grant and Langston Galloway have failed to be consistent. Fredette was supposed to bring that in his 10-day contract, but instead he did not play in three games while getting garbage time minutes against the Trail Blazers and Toronto. As he leaves, Ty Lawson could be coming in.
The Houston Rockets came to an agreement with Lawson regarding a contract buyout that will leave him a free agent. Lawson was vocal about not wanting to leave Houston, but general manager Darly Morey had other ideas. Waiving Lawson means Houston clears a solid amount of cap space and could sign someone else for a playoff run. Once Lawson clearing waivers, a lot of teams will look to the point guard for help to make the postseason. He has averaged 5.8 points on 40 percent shooting in the little time he has played this year.
The New York Knicks are a team expected to make a run at Lawson. Interim head coach Kurt Rambis recognized that the Knicks would look around for help but could not list any names. Tony Wroten, Ray McCallum and Kevin Martin are three other players available for the Knicks to look at for help.
"There's a lot of names that have been bantered about," Rambis said. "... We don't know what's going to happen in the future but those are all names that have all come up."
The need for Lawson comes with the likely departure of Fredette. The shooting guard has barely been used in his 10 days, leaving very little time for him to impress the front office in hopes of getting an extension. Fredette has struggled to find his niche in the NBA, and the Knicks are no exception. Rambis recognized that while Fredette thrived as a shooter, his defense was keeping him off the court. The guard told the media he has no idea what his future holds.
"I have no idea,'' Fredette said. "You never know what's going to happen next. I worry about things I can worry about. I'll live day by day. I just try to focus in on the game and support my teammates and not let it be a distraction to myself."
The Knicks have nothing to lose by keeping Fredette around. However, Lawson or someone like Wroten are an upgrade from the D-League star. The Knicks could go in that direction instead.
