The NY Knicks are likely targeting Greg Monroe as a free agent this summer and new reports have the deal basically all but inevitable and this comes as names like Rajon Rondo, Goran Dragic, Reggie Jackson, Brandon Knight and Marc Gasol will also be targets in free agency for New York, who also could get the chance to draft Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor.
The Knicks are in position to finish with the worst record in the NBA and that would give them the best chance to win the draft lottery. The team is positioned to spend in free agency and according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, the team is likely to target Greg Monroe and him coming to New York is a "done deal". Monroe came out to deny those rumors and that was expected and now leading into the summer, he will be one of the top targets for the Knicks.
Pro Basketball Talk reported earlier in the season that the team was looking to target "younger" free agents over the older group. Phil Jackson wants a sustained run of success in NY and the team would rather spend big on younger players and that could mean targeting Dragic and Jackson over Rondo and Monroe over Gasol. Monroe is likely to leave the Pistons and is more likely to leave his team than Gasol. Monroe is averaging 16.1 points and 10.4 rebounds this season and that should put him in line for a max deal this summer.
Monroe was one of the top trade targets in the league this past season, but no deal came close to happening for the Pistons. Monroe wanted to keep his Bird rights and he did not press the Pistons to make a deal, as he was preparing to hit free agency this summer anyway. The Pistons traded for Reggie Jackson this past season, but he is a restricted free agent and a team like the Knicks could try and price out Detroit. The Knicks and Lakers both likely will look at making an offer sheet to Jackson.
Rondo and Dragic are the main targets on the market, but there is a chance that the teams will miss out on them. The Knicks are interested in both players, but Rondo is going to get attention from the Lakers, while Dragic may remain in Miami. Dragic said to the media last week that he is hoping to stay in Miami and it comes after the team gave up two first round picks to get him at the trade deadline.
The Knicks have the chance to get the top overall pick in the draft and they likely would be satisfied in the top three. Okafor and Towns are considered to be the top players in the draft and D'Angelo Russell is also looking like a lottery pick. The Knicks have scouted all three players and Jackson has previously praised Russell as a potential lottery pick. The Knicks will have over $30 million in cap space to work with this offseason to add a star next to Carmelo Anthony.