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After a hugely successful season, the New York Knicks will be looking to make improvements to their roster in the free agency market this summer.
Leon Rose and the rest of the Knicks front office have a lot of cap space to work with and will be able to build on the impressive strides Tom Thibodeau made with the side this year.
Although they finished 4th in the Eastern Conference standings, the New York Knicks' flaws and lack of playoff experience were laid bare in their 4-1 series loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
Nevertheless, they have an exciting offseason ahead of them with potentially $50m available in cap space, depending on how they handle the free agents they have on their roster.
It is the free agents of other teams we will be focusing on in this article, however, as we look at five potential targets on the market whom the Knicks should approach in the 2021 NBA offseason.
5 Free Agents who would help to continue the New York Knicks' rise
It is an exciting time to be a New York Knicks fan. The franchise has a winning team to cheer for and packed out MSG to welcome Atlanta on their return to the playoffs.
Although their regular-season success wasn't enough to see them progress past the Hawks, Thibodeau has helped put the Knicks back on the NBA map. They are an attractive landing spot once again and can attract some huge stars from across the league because of the stature the organization holds.
Let's take a look at five free agents who can help the Knicks continue their rise up the Eastern Conference.
#1 Lonzo Ball
Much of the New York Knicks' focus in the free agency market will be on the backcourt options available. There is a plethora of guards who the Knicks could target, but they may want to chase one who won't take up the majority of their cap space available.
That is where Lonzo Ball comes in as a cheaper option who also has a high ceiling for potential improvements. The 23-year-old has already improved his game this year, registering career-high numbers in all shooting metrics.
Ball fits in well with the New York Knicks' current system as a two-way guard who doesn't need to have the ball to be effective. He has developed his offensive creativity but is equally capable of registering high-scoring games while playing defensively, which he would need to do with the Knicks if they were to sign another star alongside Randle.
#2 Kelly Oubre Jr.
In addition to their issues in the backcourt, the New York Knicks desperately need scoring support from the wing. They struggled offensively during the campaign and scored less than 100 points in three games against the Atlanta Hawks in the playoffs.
We recently reported on the rumors linking Kelly Oubre Jr. with the Knicks and he will certainly be one of their key targets this summer.
Although the 25-year-old had an up-and-down campaign with the Warriors, fans caught glimpses of his effectiveness in February when Oubre took on a more important role on the frontcourt with James Wiseman sidelined.
The New York Knicks could see Oubre Jr. as a rough diamond whom they could bring in now on a team-friendly deal and help to develop. He averaged over 15 points and 6 rebounds per game this year while shooting at 44% from the field. He is also an athletic rim protector, grabbing a steal and 0.8 blocks per contest.
#3 Spencer Dinwiddie
An intriguing move the New York Knicks could make in the free agency market would be offering Spencer Dinwiddie a deal who recently declined his player option with the Brooklyn Nets for $12.5m.
The flexible guard has stated he would likely only return with the Nets if they were to offer him a deal worth $125m over five years. However, the belief around the league is that his realistic worth is really between $15-$20m per year.
That is due to the fact that Dinwiddie missed this year having suffered an ACL injury. Nevertheless, in his previous campaign with the Nets, the 28-year-old averaged over 20 points and 6.8 assists.
Dinwiddie is an excellent shooter who can also create for others. The New York Knicks need another dynamic guard for their backcourt and while there will be considerable competition for him, they should at least throw their name in the hat and perhaps offer him around $18m a year.
He would fit in well with the Knicks core and wouldn't put them out of pocket this summer.
#4 Norman Powell
Norman Powell is a name who has been heavily linked with the New York Knicks and while his asking price may be too high for their fancy, they should definitely target him as he has all the skills they currently need.
Even offering the kind of deal Julius Randle was signed onto, $60m over three years with a player option in the third seems about right for both Powell and the Knicks.
Powell has been a highly effective scorer for both the Toronto Raptors and Portland Trail Blazers this year. He shot the ball consistently well from all positions this year, including at 41% from downtown which was a career-high tally.
He is an athletic wing who doesn't need the ball in his hands to have an impact on the game. The New York Knicks need to bring in shooters this summer and Powell certainly fits into that category, as well as him being a good defender which suits Thibodeau's system perfectly.
Over the 2020-21 season, the 28-year-old had 29 games with 20+ points, including a career-high 43 points against the Detroit Pistons.
#5 Malik Monk
One free agent who could go under the radar this summer is the Charlotte Hornets' Malik Monk. Despite having an injury-ravaged campaign, the 23-year-old was extremely effective off the bench, shooting at a career-high 40% from downtown and averaging 11.7 points per game.
He could potentially offer incredible value to the New York Knicks, who overlooked him in the 2017 draft despite widespread suggestions he would be headed to the Big Apple.
Monk is a restricted free agent this summer and the Hornets could look to move him on as they center their focus on other areas for improvement on the roster. He would be a huge boost to the Knicks' depth options and could be acquired on a reasonable salary between $5m-$8m.
Guess the Lakers players!
