The New York Knicks were named on a short list of teams that stand a good chance of bringing a quality two-way forward on board in the offseason.
Knicks could pursue Taurean Prince this offseason
Los Angeles Lakers wing Taurean Prince will be a free agent once the market opens up this summer. Per Bleacher Report, he’ll be an an attractive option for the Knicks to consider with their depth chart at forward in danger of losing its two most important players in OG Anunoby and Julius Randle (h/t Jeremy Brener of Fan Nation’s All Knicks).
“Expensive teams like the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, or Suns could use wing depth at the minimum. Others could include the Chicago Bulls, Sacramento Kings, Cleveland Cavaliers (he shot 41.5 percent from three-point range over 29 games for the Cavaliers in 2020-21), New York Knicks or Thunder,” Bleacher Report wrote.
Prince is an efficient outside shooter and defender to consider
Prince started 49 of 78 games for the Lakers in the regular season. In 27 minutes a night, the eight-year veteran converted 1.8 threes on 4.6 attempts. He also posted a respectable 1.3 percent steals percentage.
The Knicks could use a sizable three-man that can also man the power forward position in small-ball lineups. At 6-6 and I’m218 pounds, Prince offers size, athleticism, and skilled on-ball defense. Able to guard positions 1-4, he could be for the Knicks at forward what Precious Achiuwa was to the team at the four and five slots after joining the team midseason.
- Knicks’ rising sharpshooter could see a minutes reduction
- Projecting the Knicks’ starting 5 for the 2024-25 season
- Knicks’ developmental center could be ready to take a big step forward
Prince could be a cost-effective, multi-positional forward for the Knicks
The Baylor product earned $4.5 million for 2023-24. If the Knicks could sign him in that ballpark, he could also be a cost-effective role player to keep around on a long-term deal. New York has $143.75 million on their books for next season, leaving them almost $3 million over the expected salary cap.
Albeit, if Anunoby and Isaiah Hartenstein seek greener pastures in free agency and the Knicks move off of Randle and Bojan Bogdanovic, they will have roughly $40 million off of their books for 2024-25 and more potential marginal savings on the horizon. Prince is a guy that can knock down catch-and-shoot threes, put the ball on the floor, and attack the basket. His defensive skills would mesh well in Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau’s rotation. The Knicks will have an abundance of role players to consider ahead of the 2024-25 NBA campaign.