Even though the New York Knicks gave their fans some hope earlier this year, they are still very far away from being a contender. The Knicks are 15 games under .500 and will have a lot of work to do this offseason to get their roster to at least be playoff worthy.
The Knicks have a total of seven players that can become free agents after this season so it seems possible, and maybe even likely, that there is a major roster overhaul for the second consecutive year. The two big free agents they signed this past year were Robin Lopez and Arron Afflalo. Lopez will almost assuredly be back as he signed a four-year deal, but Afflalo's future isn't quite as certain.
Afflalo signed a two-year deal with the Knicks this past offseason but that second year happens to be a player option. The player option is worth $8 million, but he is expected to opt out because he will likely be able to get more money on the open market. The 30-year-old shooting guard says that he wants one more big contract and this offseason, with the salary cap going way up, may be his opportunity to get it.
Afflalo did add that he has not thought about the option yet so it's no guarantee he does opt out but it would be the logical move. Opting out wouldn't mean his Knicks career is over per se but that would be the likely outcome. The Knicks have some cap space but they are looking to use that on top notch free agents and since they don't have Afflalo's bird rights they will have to go into their cap to sign him. Odds are the Knicks are not going to be willing to pay him the type of money he will be asking for if he opts out and they shouldn't be.
When asked what his priorities will be when considering what to do this offseason he simply said finances. That means Afflalo would be willing to come back to the Knicks if the money was right but as mentioned before it doesn't seem likely it will be.
Afflalo has had a nice season for the Knicks through 60 games but he isn't exactly what they need. The ninth-year man out of UCLA is averaging 13.7 points per game, which is second on the team, while shooting 45 percent from the field but the Knicks need to either look in a younger direction or to a more elite talent to get where they want to go.
