The NY Knicks are expected to be active in free agency this offseason and Greg Monroe is a likely target along with Rajon Rondo and LaMarcus Aldridge and this comes as Phil Jackson is considering players like Justise Winslow, Trey Lyles, Frank Kaminsky, Kristaps Porzingis and Emmanuel Mudiay in the upcoming NBA draft.
The Knicks are projected to have over $25 million in cap space this summer and there are some notable players hitting the market that Jackson could try to lure to the Big Apple. Carmelo Anthony is coming off of surgery and he needs some support after the Knicks finished with the second worst record in the league. According to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, Greg Monroe is expected to be the top target for the Knicks, as sources said signing Monroe was "about as close to a done deal as you can get."
While there is no guarantee a deal will happen, the Knicks are expected to be aggressive in free agency and Monroe is a likely player they will go after. Rajon Rondo, Goran Dragic and Brandon Knight are potential targets, while LaMarcus Aldridge could also be an option for the team. Monroe had a career year with the Pistons and he is expected to leave Detroit after four years, as he averaged 16 points and 10 rebounds this past season.
The draft could end up being as important as free agency for the Knicks, as they have the fourth overall pick and could get a very strong prospect. The team and the fans are disappointed with the lottery after the Lakers jumped from fourth to second in the draft, but that doesn't mean it will be a lost cause. Winslow has been projected as the pick for the Knicks in numerous mock drafts, including from Chad Ford at ESPN and that came ahead of him working out for the team.
Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor are considered to be the top two players in the draft and Winslow could be among the top five. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, the Knicks are "examining him (Winslow) closely" with the number four pick. The team put Winslow through a workout and they also have reportedly worked out Frank Kaminsky, Trey Lyles and Emmanuel Mudiay.
Ian Begley of ESPN New York reports that the team is looking into Cameron Payne of Murray State as a potential draft option as well, as the team could consider trading down in the first round. Payne is considered to be a mid-first round pick and Jackson previously said that the team would think about trading down if the lottery pick came out of the top three. Begley writes that the Knicks are "serious" about considering Payne as an option and that they are also looking into Willie Cauley-Stein.
Kristaps Porzingis is the wild card in the draft, as some scouts have said that he might be the most talented player in the 2015 class. Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Porzingis worked out for scouts in Las Vegas and one scout said that he is "the best player in the draft" and that he could be "better than Karl Towns." Porzingis has size and he has been very impressive playing in Spain. With Towns and Okafor likely going one-two, the Knicks will have the chance to draft a top prospect at four.
