The New York Knicks got the ball rolling on rebuilding as the team began with the NBA Draft on Thursday night where Phil Jackson got busy making moves. After all of the rumors about trading down in the draft, the Knicks stayed put and selected Kristaps Porzingis along with gaining the rights to Jerian Grant following a deal for Tim Hardaway Jr. With that aspect of the offseason about wrapped up, who will the Knicks chase next in their quest to improve?
According to Ian Begley of ESPN New York, with just three backcourt players under contract for next season a shooting guard or point guard will come into play. Grant is certainly not a home run nor is Langston Galloway and Jose Calderon. By the end of the offseason, there is still a chance that Calderon is traded seeing as Jackson wanted that deal all along. This opens the door for the pursuit of Rajon Rondo or Goran Dragic, two players the Knicks have had interest in for some time.
Getting either player might be easier said than done. The Knicks have plenty of salary cap space entering the offseason with about $27 million to spend and getting a point guard and defender are two priorities. Rondo is hitting the market when his stock is low and the Knicks could capitalize by convincing the point guard to take a short-term contract. Dragic will be harder to acquire. According to ESPN.com, the Miami Heat are prepared to offer a contract worth upwards of five years and $90-$100 million. The Knicks cannot off that much.
With a trade for DeMarcus Cousins out of the way, the Knicks will aim to target a defender in free agency. Porzingis could potentially be a starter for the team or he could end up being more of a project player. According to ESPN's Marc Stein, the Knicks are expected to chase Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Monroe in free agency. All three players are expected to have a lot of competition for them. If the Knicks want defense, Monroe or Aldridge are the better fits for the team while Love would pair well with Carmelo Anthony.
New York has plenty of options. Fans are not thrilled with the addition of Porzingis, but getting rid of Hardaway Jr was a nice touch for the fan base. With plenty of money to spend in the coming months, Jackson will put the real work in when the free agent market opens up on July 1.
