New York Knicks Offseason Plans Include Trade Market & Free Agency
Just one year after claiming the 4-seed in the Eastern Conference, Tom Thibodeau winning Coach of the Year in his first season with the team and Julius Randle not only being named a first-time All-Star but the NBA’s Most Improved Player, the Knicks find themselves on the outside of the playoff picture looking in with just 11 games remaining on their schedule.
The regression the Knicks have shown this season definitely puts a stale taste in the mouth of Knicks’ fans, who have been through a lot over the last decade or so, but New York will have the ability to free up a ton of cap space in the offseason to continue finding ways to surround Julius Randle and R.J. Barrett with the right talents.
Both Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin figure to get more involved in the Knicks’ long-term plans in the offseason and the team could be very aggressive on the trade market.
Evan Fournier, Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel, Derrick Rose, and Kemba Walker will all be listed as “available” in the offseason and the possibility of getting some kind of value for Walker is very real.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: This Heat-Wizards Trade Lands Bradley Beal In Miami
The Knicks and Kemba Walker agreed near the end of February that the former All-Star point guard would sit out the remainder of the year, allowing him to heal up and prepare for the 2022-23 season, but it is very likely that he has played his last game with the Knicks.
According to Marc Berman of New York Post, Kemba Walker has been training in Charlotte and New York while he remains away from the New York Knicks.
With Walker away from the team and already having connections to Charlotte from his time playing with the Hornets, it is not out of the question for a possible reunion between the veteran guard and his former franchise.
What this trade would look like is definitely a mystery, but the Hornets could possibly look to move on from veteran Gordon Hayward in the offseason and teams continue to show interest in P.J. Washington as a young frontcourt option.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: This Heat-Wizards Trade Lands Bradley Beal In Miami
Both players could be of interest to the Knicks in a possible trade with the Hornets involving Kemba Walker. Along with Walker drawing a level of trade interest, Alec Burks is also expected to be a possible target for several playoff-contending teams in the offseason.
Aside from trade talks, the Knicks have a chance to be very active in free agency, as they will enter the offseason with plenty of ways to free up available funds.
Zach LaVine is an All-Star target of the Knicks that will likely be off the market quickly, as Chicago is expected to do everything they can to retain LaVine on a new long-term, max contract, but Mavericks’ guard Jalen Brunson has emerged as a key free agency target for New York.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: This Heat-Wizards Trade Lands Bradley Beal In Miami
The Knicks not only need a new point guard to build with, but Jalen Brunson already has a connection to the Knicks’ franchise through his father, Rick Brunson, who was one of the first clients of Knicks’ team president Leon Rose when he was first starting off as an NBA agent. Rick Brunson also spent three seasons in New York as a member of the Knicks over the course of his nine-year playing career.
The Mavericks are going to have their own financial problems to deal with in the offseason, which is why the Knicks have a real possibility of putting together a lucrative offer for pending unrestricted free agent Jalen Brunson.
