Some fans are happy that the Knicks are being smart by signing players to short-term deals with their eyes on 2021 free agency – but that wasn’t plan A for this offseason.
It wasn’t even plan B. The Knicks wanted some combination of free agents Gordon Hayward, Fred VanVleet, DJ Augustin and Carmelo Anthony. They struck out on all of them.
In an ideal scenario, the Knicks were hoping to pair Gordon Hayward with NBA-ready draft pick Obi Toppin in order to compete for the playoffs immediately. They also had Fred Van Vleet at the top of their list and were absolutely willing to match Toronto’s 4-year, $85 million dollar offer. Van Vleet wanted to stay in Toronto though, which left the Knicks with their eyes on DJ Augustin, a favorite of Knicks GM Scott Perry when they were both in Orlando. Ideally, the Knicks were hoping to use their cap space to sign Hayward, Augustin and Carmelo Anthony, according to Marc Berman of NY Post.
While it will likely end up a good thing that New York didn’t match Charlotte’s 4-year, $120 million dollar offer for Hayward, he was most definitely part of a larger offseason plan that failed to materialize. Coach Tom Thibodeau likes Hayward, and was reportedly pushing the organization to make win-now moves, per Stefan Bondy of NY Daily News. Leon Rose and the new Knicks regime wanted to give coach Tom Thibodeau a team that can compete immediately – the cards just didn’t fall into place.
Augustin signed with the Milwaukee Bucks (three-years, $21 million) and Carmelo re-signed with Portland (one-year, minimum), leaving the Knicks’ dream of competing for the playoffs shattered.
Plan C not so bad
That doesn’t mean this was a failed offseason. Sometimes things don’t work out for a reason. The Knicks signed Nerlens Noel to a one-year, $5 million dollar deal. He will be a great backup to Mitchell Robinson when Mitch inevitably gets into foul trouble.
They also signed Alec Burks, Elfrid Payton, and Theo Pinson to short-term deals.
These moves might be boring, but they prove that the Knicks know how to be patient when their ideal offseason doesn’t take place. It might be for the better that the Knicks struck out on many of the star free agents they wanted. If the hypothetical dream offseason in which the Knicks signed Hayward, DJ Augustin and Carmelo Anthony happened, either RJ Barrett or Obi Toppin probably would have been relegated to a bench role.
Does anyone really want to see that?
The Knicks should commit this upcoming season to allowing the young core to showcase their talent and build chemistry. Give RJ Barrett, Obi Toppin and Mitchell Robinson the keys to extended playing time on a team where they won’t be benched for the likes of win-now veterans like Carmelo Anthony or Gordon Hayward.
While eyes are clearly focused on the 2021 free agent class and draft, the upcoming young Knicks team for the 2020-21 season is going to be more fun to watch than people think. CP From KnicksFanTV broke down the latest Knicks signings in his free agency day 2 recap below. Also, stay tuned to knicksfantv.com for the latest news and rumors as the season approaches.
