The New York Knicks are in rebuild mode and it is reported that the front office will look to add youth as well as quality in free agency this summer.
READ MORE:
Jackson to make Knicks front office changes: Organisation personnel expecting it.
Jackson makes plea to Knicks fans: P-Jax wants fans to stick with team.
Woodson criticises Jackson and Knicks: Former coach not happy with one move in particular.
The Knicks are eyeing a significant summer this year as they will likely have a top-three Draft pick and plenty of cap space to work with in landing some top names in free agency.
While the likes of Marc Gasol and Rajon Rondo have been linked with a move, it is understood that the organisation is looking further ahead and wants to build a young nucleus that will play for the team for years to come.
New York are expected to go with either Jahlil Okafor or Karl-Anthony Towns with their Draft pick, and they could be joined by some other younger stars in free agency.
“The Knicks will make their pass at Marc Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge, and likely at Rajon Rondo and/or Goran Dragic, too, but expect them to be aggressive in pursuing as many young free agents as possible,” Sean Deveney of the Sporting News reports.
“Jackson does not want to build a team around players in their early 30s. That means Reggie Jackson, Greg Monroe and Brandon Knight will factor prominently on the Knicks’ radar as the team looks to avoid its long-standing habit of indulging in short-term fixes that set the franchise back in the long term.”
This certainly appears to be a wise strategy from the Knicks who have been heavily criticised in the past for their tendency to want to win now and offer big contracts to declining stars.
While Carmelo Anthony is now 30, team president Phil Jackson and coach Derek Fisher will want to surround him with talent across the roster and by targeting players in the mid-level contract tier like Monroe and Knight, they will be killing two birds with one stone as they can add multiple players within their financial constraints.
If a top name becomes available, then this may well change as New York is a big market and needs high-profile names. However, it seems as though Jackson and Fisher have their plan in place.
COMMENTS