.jpg)
5 hours ago
2
It’ll be an offseason full of change for the New York Knicks. They’ve already fired Tom Thibodeau — and are still searching for his replacement — and will be in the market for marginal upgrades in free agency.
The Knicks don’t have the funds to go out and sign a star, they only have the spending power to use their $5.7 million midlevel exception, but that doesn’t mean they can’t find an impactful player at that price.
Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz has targeted three big men as the Knicks’ primary targets this offseason, citing the need to put depth and size next to Karl-Anthony Towns.
Taurean Prince, Luke Kornet, and Chris Boucher are who Swartz believes the Knicks should go after.
“Increasing the team's depth and adding another rim-protector who can play alongside Karl-Anthony Towns should be two main goals for the New York Knicks in free agency,” Swartz wrote.
Prince spent last season with the Milwaukee Bucks, playing in 80 games (73 starts) averaging 8.2 points per game while shooting a career-best 44 percent from three-point range. Kornet is coming off of arguably the best season of his career with the Boston Celtics, averaging 6.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game this season. In Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Knicks, Kornet scored 10 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and had an astounding seven blocks as the Celtics won 127-102. Boucher has spent seven seasons with the Toronto Raptors and has averaged 8.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in that span.
A primary reason for the Knicks’ downfall in the playoffs was their lack of depth. While it may not be super flashy, an impactful move for key depth pieces could move the needle for the Knicks more than many may think.
English (US)