A few notes as we head into Day 3 of NBA free agency:
What’s next for the Knicks after the Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele signings?
As things currently stand, they probably only have enough money for another veteran minimum contract.
According to Yossi Gozlan of the Third Apron podcast, the Knicks would be slightly over the second apron ($207.8 million) if they added a veteran to the roster.
(New York will be hard-capped at the second apron after it uses the tax-payer midlevel exception to sign Yabusele).
I believe the Knicks do want to add another veteran free agent. To do so, they’d need to sign a player to a rookie free agent deal and trim around $36,000 in team salary. This theoretically can be done if Yabusele takes slightly less than the full taxpayer midlevel exception. If Yabusele has the full midlevel, the Knicks would need to shed salary via trade to get under the second apron.
As noted earlier, they have had interest in bringing back Landry Shamet. Shamet also has interest from contenders in both conferences. The Knicks have also checked in on free agent Ben Simmons, per sources familiar with the matter. But people briefed on the matter say a decision on that roster spot isn’t expected until after the head coach is hired.
Simmons has met with three other teams and is expected to make a decision soon, per people familiar with the matter.
KNICKS VS. NUGGETS FOR YABUSELE
The Knicks and Nuggets were the finalists for Yabusele, who had a strong season in Philadelphia last season. As Jeremy Cohen of KnicksFilmSchool notes, the Knicks actually benefitted from the Sixers bottoming out at the end of the season. The salary for the No. 3 pick in the NBA draft (V.J. Edgecombe) left Philadelphia hard-pressed to re-sign Yabusele and Quentin Grimes.
The Knicks, as you could imagine, were thrilled to land Yabusele. Entering free agency, it seemed unlikely that the midlevel exception would be enough to land the big man. But the player option probably helped the Knicks’ push for Yabusele. Denver was aggressive in its pursuit with Nikola Jokic said to be a big fan of the potential Yabusele addition.
Also, something I found interesting: the Knicks value Yabusele’s versatility off the bench, particularly behind a starting lineup featuring Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson. Obviously, the Knicks’ next head coach will ultimately decide the starting lineup/rotation for New York. But the fact that the Knicks factored in Yabusele’s role behind a starting lineup featuring Towns and Robinson tells you that there is some internal support for that starting five.
A few notes as we head into Day 3 of NBA free agency:
What’s next for the Knicks after the Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele signings?
As things currently stand, they probably only have enough money for another veteran minimum contract.
According to Yossi Gozlan of the Third Apron podcast, the Knicks would be slightly over the second apron ($207.8 million) if they added a veteran to the roster.
(New York will be hard-capped at the second apron after it uses the tax-payer midlevel exception to sign Yabusele).
I believe the Knicks do want to add another veteran free agent. To do so, they’d need to sign a player to a rookie free agent deal and trim around $36,000 in team salary. This theoretically can be done if Yabusele takes slightly less than the full taxpayer midlevel exception. If Yabusele has the full midlevel, the Knicks would need to shed salary via trade to get under the second apron.
As noted earlier, they have had interest in bringing back Landry Shamet. Shamet also has interest from contenders in both conferences. The Knicks have also checked in on free agent Ben Simmons, per sources familiar with the matter. But people briefed on the matter say a decision on that roster spot isn’t expected until after the head coach is hired.
Simmons has met with three other teams and is expected to make a decision soon, per people familiar with the matter.
KNICKS VS. NUGGETS FOR YABUSELE
The Knicks and Nuggets were the finalists for Yabusele, who had a strong season in Philadelphia last season. As Jeremy Cohen of KnicksFilmSchool notes, the Knicks actually benefitted from the Sixers bottoming out at the end of the season. The salary for the No. 3 pick in the NBA draft (V.J. Edgecombe) left Philadelphia hard-pressed to re-sign Yabusele and Quentin Grimes.
The Knicks, as you could imagine, were thrilled to land Yabusele. Entering free agency, it seemed unlikely that the midlevel exception would be enough to land the big man. But the player option probably helped the Knicks’ push for Yabusele. Denver was aggressive in its pursuit with Nikola Jokic said to be a big fan of the potential Yabusele addition.
Also, something I found interesting: the Knicks value Yabusele’s versatility off the bench, particularly behind a starting lineup featuring Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson. Obviously, the Knicks’ next head coach will ultimately decide the starting lineup/rotation for New York. But the fact that the Knicks factored in Yabusele’s role behind a starting lineup featuring Towns and Robinson tells you that there is some internal support for that starting five.
