The NY Knicks are expected to be aggressive in free agency this summer and players like Greg Monroe, Arron Afflalo, David West, LaMarcus Aldridge, DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews and Goran Dragic are potential free agent targets to join Carmelo Anthony, as Phil Jackson has a lot of salary cap space to work with after drafting Kristaps Porzingis.
The Knicks are projected to have over $20 million in cap space this summer and after retaining just a handful of players after the season, the team will be active on the market. According to Chris Broussard at ESPN, the Knicks are lining up meetings with LaMarcus Aldridge and Deandre Jordan once free agency opens on July 1. League sources reported to Broussard that the Knicks should complete the meetings by Friday of the first week of free agency.
Broussard reports that the Knicks "contingent" for the meeting will include Phil Jackson, head coach Derek Fisher and general manager Steve Mills. The Knicks are reportedly the favorites for Greg Monroe and Arron Afflalo in free agency, as Yahoo Sports reports that "the Knicks and rival executives have believed" Monroe will end up in New York. Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the team is "emerging as frontrunners" to sign Afflalo and he could be an early addition in free agency. Earlier in the weekend reports came out that the Knicks also were in the mix to sign David West, who is opting out of his deal with the Pacers.
Yahoo Sports reports that Monroe is a main target for the Knicks and that New york is a "likely destination" if Monroe decides to leave the Pistons. The early reports on Monroe have him leaving Detroit, as the New Orleans Advocate reports Monroe said he is looking to be with a team "that's ready to win." The Knicks may sell themselves that way and that could convince him along with a max contract offer, while Yahoo Sports reports that Afflalo could be worth "three years, $36 million-$38 million."
Broussard reports that the Knicks are also planning to meet with Wesley Matthews along with Monroe and Afflalo this week. Aldridge and Jordan are both high profile free agents and they are expected to take meetings with numerous teams. The Knicks will be in the mix, but the San antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers are among the teams also interested in those players.
Jordan is setting up meetings with the Mavericks and Lakers, while Aldridge is expected to meet with the Spurs and Rockets along with Dallas and LA. The Knicks have money to spend and they could sign two or three notable free agents along with someone like Afflalo. The Knicks have needs all over the roster and Jackson may push for free agents after taking Porzingis in the draft. Jerian Grant comes in with experience, but Porzingis is just 19 and may not be able to contribute consistently for a couple years.
Carmelo Anthony was reportedly upset about the pick of Porzingis, as he was expecting Jackson to take a player who could have a more immediate impact. Anthony later came out on social media and wrote that Porzingis was a "steal" and if the Knicks spend big in free agency he likely will be satisfied. The team has pared down the roster and now they have the cap space to bring in some notable players to help Anthony.
Check here for more on the Knicks free agent targets this summer.