The New York Knicks signed a ton of free agents this offseason, including Marcus Morris, Julius Randle, Wayne Ellington, Elfrid Payton, Reggie Bullock, and Taj Gibson.
The talent they added will certainly help the success of the team and surpass the 17-win mark. Last season, the roster was built through youth and inexperience, but an influx in veteran talent should give the Knicks a better chance at being competitive.
However, their free agent signing spree has likely come to an end, and it’s time to reflect on the quality of the new players on the roster.
Former Knick, Charles Oakley, gave his opinion on the matter and what grades he would give the signings:
“Do they have an ‘A’ player on this team? I don’t think so,†Oakley told reporters after the Big-3 tournament at the Barclays Center on Sunday. “They maybe got one ‘B’ and a lot of ‘Cs.’â€
Failing to lure Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to Mecca of basketball surely doesn’t promote the current management or ownership, but it seems as if they never wanted Durant all along due to his injury. Whether or not I believe that is a different story.
Oakley did say in regards to the Nets:
“They hit the Mega Millions and the Powerball,†he said.
James Dolan’s influence on the team surely steered players away that were looking for a safe and fun place to enjoy their prime years. The Knicks always seem to be a whirlwind of drama and unnecessary attention. The fact they managed to pry Morris away from the San Antonio Spurs and Gregg Popovich is mind-blowing. We can cough that up to an extra $5 million on a one-year deal.
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Despite the Knicks striking out on big-name free agents, they structured the contracts of their signings very efficiently. A majority of the players are on two-year deals with a team option after the first, allowing them to shed cap allocations and open up space for more influential players.
In the meantime, they will look to be a competitive team in 2019.