The San Antonio Spurs will enter the offseason with DeMar DeRozan being set to reach free agency if he elects to decline his player option. That could open an outlook for the New York Knicks to capitalize.
It was reported by Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports that DeRozan is expected to command interest from the Knicks if he were to reach free agency. There is the possibility he reaches an agreement on a contract extension with the Spurs, but otherwise, New York could be an option.
There have been rumblings that DeRozan may depart from the Spurs if the team decides not to give him a four-year extension. Considering he turned 31-years-old earlier this month, that may not be San Antonio’s favorite outcome considering they’d be keeping a core that couldn’t make the playoffs.
Plenty could depend on how the Spurs view the state of their franchise. In a loaded Western Conference that has gotten even stronger in the last two years, simply keeping a middling product intact isn’t enough to earn the No. 8 seed anymore.
Let’s not forget, LaMarcus Aldridge is also entering the final year of his contract and will be 36-years-old next summer. Overall, it would be reasonable for the Spurs to opt to rebuild even though it hasn’t been in their nature to do so.
With that, let’s take a look at whether the New York Knicks should pursue DeMar DeRozan in free agency.
