A few notes on the Knicks’ offseason entering the July 4 weekend…
The Knicks are hard-capped at the second apron this season ($207,824,000). They are currently close to the second apron. But they should have enough money to sign another veteran free agent.
I don’t know if there is a specific focus for that final roster spot. But the Knicks have been in touch with multiple backup guards on the market.
Dante Exum considered the Knicks as a possible destination before he agreed to a deal with Dallas on Wednesday (per ESPN). As noted earlier, the Knicks touched base with free agent Ben Simmons this week. So it seems like the Knicks are at least keeping an eye on the market for a backup guard.
He’s obviously not on their radar now, but the Knicks also did some background work on Deandre Ayton. Some decision makers viewed Ayton as a good fit next to Karl-Anthony Towns. Part of their background work included talking to the Trail Blazers about Ayton. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Blazers gave good feedback on Ayton to teams that called on him, which runs contrary to recent reports painting Ayton in a negative light. The Knicks received similar positive feedback from Portland about Ayton’s leadership with some of the younger Blazers.
I assume if the Knicks paired Ayton and Towns, Mitchell Robinson would have been the club’s backup center. Ayton reportedly signed a two-year, $16.6 million deal with the Lakers. Ayton chose the Lakers over his other suitors because he viewed Los Angeles as the best basketball fit.
IMPRESSED BY NORI
He didn’t get the job, but Timberwolves assistant coach Micah Nori impressed the Knicks during the interview process. According to people in touch with the team, Nori’s insight on workload/player production stood out during the Knicks’ interview process. Mike Brown, Nori, Taylor Jenkins, James Borrego and Dawn Staley were the known interviewees for the Knicks opening. The Knicks were always leaning toward hiring a head coach with NBA experience, but Nori’s interview certainly gave them something to think about.