With money to spend this summer, the New York Knicks will be desperate to bring in a star free agent who can help Carmelo Anthony. Knicks president Phil Jackson's best bet is to lure Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol to the Big Apple, according to Basketball Insiders' Alex Kennedy.
New York fans have been looking ahead to the summer of 2015 since last year. Jackson will, for the first time since coming aboard last season, be unrestrained by salary cap space and have the financial flexibility to pursue a big-name talent. One target for Jackson might be Gasol, who becomes an unrestricted free agent in July.
"Marc Gasol immediately comes to mind. He would be perfect alongside Carmelo Anthony and he would thrive in the triangle offense," Kennedy wrote Wednesday. "If I'm Phil Jackson, he's my number one target. I'd have Pau Gasol calling him every single day telling him how great Phil was and how it helped his career."
Other potential free agents in July include Rajon Rondo, Paul Millsap, Greg Monroe and Goran Dragic. If incumbent starter Jose Calderon can hold his own at the 1-spot this season, Jackson's attention likely will be on acquiring a big man superstar - something analyst Shaquille O'Neal believes is paramount for the triangle offense to work in New York.
"For the triangle to work, you need to have two superstars," O'Neal told NBC New York. "It's been proven over time. Look at what Phil needed to win his championships in Chicago. Then look what he had in L.A., with me and Kobe. You have to have two superstars playing in the triangle to win championships."
