The New York Knicks and Elfrid Payton have agreed on a one-year, $5 million dollar deal to return to the garden.
The news comes after the Knicks missed out on many of the top free agent point guards that were available.
Some of those point guards included Fred Van Vleet (4yrs / $85 million – Raptors), DJ Augustin (3 yrs / $21 million, Bucks), Rajon Rondo (2 yrs/ $15 million – Hawks) and Kris Dunn (2 yrs / $10 million – Hawks).
The Knicks were also reportedly in hot pursuit of shooting guard Gordon Hayward, but Charlotte offered him more money than the Knicks were willing to.
Knicks fans will probably be happy that the Knicks didn’t match that offer.
The Knicks have also been attached to a number of trade targets throughout the offseason, but so far have been unable to strike any sort of blockbuster deal for a floor general.
So, the Knicks inked a deal to bring back Elfrid Payton on a one-year contract. Payton averaged 10 ppg, 7.2 ast and 4.7 reb last season with the Knicks. Despite alot of fan backlash to this move, Payton still managed to log a 52.4 percent assist rate on 7.2 assists per game (11th best) with a usage rate of 19 percent (187th). His combined low usage, low turnover and high assist rates were a league best. Chris Paul was second.
Keeping players on short term deals leaves room for cap flexibility in the future. With free agent Alec Burks also signed to a one-year deal, the Knicks clearly have their eyes on the 2021 free agent class and draft. That’s not a bad thing, in fact, it’s rather reassuring. Leon Rose, Walt Perrin and the new Knicks front office are in this for the long haul. While they might try to do an accelerated rebuild, they’re clearly not going to make any rash decisions that compromise the future of the franchise they now represent.
The offseason might not be exciting so far, but the upcoming season is going to fly by.
The Knicks will get a chance to see if their point guard of the future is, in fact, on the roster already. DSJ, Frank and Payton will likely get a shot to compete for the starting point guard spot.
In the meantime, Leon Rose and the new front office have the patience of the die-hard Knicks fan – for now.
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