The NY Knicks took Kristaps Porzingis in the NBA draft this year and with reports saying Carmelo Anthony is unhappy with the selection, it's likely that Phil Jackson will be aggressive in free agency and players like DeAndre Jordan, LaMarcus Aldridge, David West, Rajon Rondo, Kevin Love and Greg Monroe are potential targets for New York.
The Knicks are coming into the offseason projected to have over $20 million in camp space to spend and Jackson is expected to use most of it on free agents. The team has added Porzingis and Jerian Grant coming out of the draft and those two players could give the Knicks some quality starters down the road. Right now Grant is likely the more immediate contributor than Porzingis, but there is a chance the European big man steps up and surprises people. According to ESPN.com, Greg Monroe is already setting up meetings for free agency and the Knicks are in the mix for his services.
Anthony was reportedly upset with the pick by Jackson, as Stephen A. Smith said Anthony felt "betrayed," while Frank Isola reported that Anthony was not happy with the selection. Anthony later came out and said he felt the Porzingis pick was a "steal" and that the team made the best decision with the pick. That was in stark contrast to the reports the night of the pick, but Jackson and the team came out to defend Porzingis, saying he could end up as the top player of the draft.
The Knicks may target players like David West and DeAndre Jordan on the market, while Greg Monroe is also reportedly a top option for the team. According to Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report, West is an option for the Knicks after he opted out of his contract with the Indiana Pacers, as he had a player option for next season at $12 million. West averaged 11.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists last season for the Pacers and he is the type veteran that the Knicks need if they are going to contend.
The Knicks won just 17 games last season and they ended up sliding in the draft lottery after finishing with the second worst record in the league. The team won a couple games late in the season and that hurt their chances in the lottery and they ended up with the fourth pick. The Lakers took D'Angelo Russell after the Timberwolves took Karl-Anthony Towns and that left the Sixers to take Jahlil Okafor before the Knicks took Porzingis.
The Knicks have only a handful of players under contract for next season with Anthony, Langston Galloway, Jose Calderon and Cleanthony Early among the players on the roster. Grant actually could see some playing time if Calderon deals with injuries again, as Grant's head coach at Notre Dame said on ESPN that Grant is one of the smartest players he has coached and should pick up the triangle quickly.
Check here for more on Anthony and the Knicks in free agency.