New York Knicks president Phil Jackson reportedly has a long list of free agents he's interested in signing this summer. Included in the reported are names such as Marc Gasol, Greg Monroe, Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris.
The Knicks will have around $30 million in cap space after the season to make a splash in free agency. According to Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler, Jackson has a list of players whom he plans to pursue in July.
"The Knicks have a laundry list of guys they'd love to sign, the top being Memphis big man Marc Gasol. The odds that Marc is leaving Memphis are pretty low, so the next tier includes Detroit big man Greg Monroe, Butler from Chicago and Harris from Orlando," Kyler wrote Tuesday. "The dark horses for the Knicks are Dallas' Rajon Rondo, Cleveland's Kevin Love, Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge and Detroit's Reggie Jackson."
Kyler noted the Knicks' cap space, which he projects to be $27.69 million at best, would be enough to only offer one max contract.
"As much as Knicks fans were hoping for a huge swing in free agency, the Knicks won't have the cash to make two max offers, which means they may not get two gems in July, rather maybe a gem and a half and solid draft pick," he wrote. "That's still better than most, but there looks to be a lot of cap cash out there this year, so the Knicks will have competition."
Landing a top pick in the upcoming NBA draft would help Jackson's prospects of luring a big-name free agent to the Big Apple, since the only playmaker on the Knicks' roster is still Carmelo Anthony.
