Despite the fact that the NBA playoffs are in full swing, the New York Knicks have been in the news quite a bit. Unfortunately for Knicks fans, they are not only not in the playoffs, but the news about them recently hasn't exactly been positive.
Phil Jackson is conducting a coaching search that doesn't include many of the top candidates, and star player Carmelo Anthony is not thrilled with his plan. Anthony remains under contract with the Knicks through 2019, but there is a lot of chatter that he could look to waive his no-trade clause and demand a trade. If the Knicks want to ensure that doesn't happen, this is a big offseason to improve their roster so that they are far more competitive.
The Knicks have some good building blocks in Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis, but the biggest area to address this offseason is the guard positions, specifically point guard. Jose Calderon is under contract with the Knicks for next season, but they don't view him as a starter anymore, so that shouldn't stop them from adding.
Since the Knicks don't have any picks in the upcoming NBA draft, they will have to focus their efforts on free agency and the trade market. Two guys that could possibly be targets for the Knicks on the trade market are Darren Collison and Jeff Teague. Collison backed up Rajon Rondo for the Sacramento Kings this past season and had a very good year. It is clear that he is a starting caliber player, but it is unclear if the Knicks have the assets to trade for him, or if the Kings would be willing to move him. Rondo is a free agent this summer, and if the Kings can't re-sign him, Collison may have a starting role there.
As for Teague, it was no secret that the Atlanta Hawks made him available at the trade deadline, but they never ended up moving him. The Knicks were one of the teams that showed interest, but like with any Collison trade, the Knicks may not have the assets to swing a deal. The Hawks love Dennis Schroder and may want to make him their point guard of the future, but they won't just give away Teague, as he is a guy that could command a big return considering he is young, he is a former All-Star, and his salary is extremely reasonable.
The free agent market may be the most logical place for the Knicks to look considering their lack of assets and, assuming Arron Afflalo and Derrick Williams opt out of their deals, they could have about $30 million in cap space. The big free agent on the point guard market is Mike Conley. There are conflicting reports about whether he is likely to stay or go, but the Knicks will likely have a lot of interest in him. Other names on the free agent market that might be targets for the Knicks include Rondo, Brandon Jennings and DeMar DeRozan, among others.
One thing is clear, and that is that the Knicks will be very active this offseason in trying to improve their back court. It won't take much to improve the guard positions from this past year, but the Knicks have their sites set on some top notch players. Whether New York will be able to acquire any of them remains to be seen, but it seems like they at least have the right idea heading into the offseason.
