Assessing the Knicks’ 2020 free agency period

The Knicks are (seemingly) done for the offseason, with preseason just around the corner and the NBA’s nonstop free agency boom over with. Now that the dust has settled, how did the Knicks do? Tyrese London and Collin Loring examine the Knicks’ exceedingly safe free agency.

Tyrese London: Collin my man, this team never fails to stress me out. This free agency was pretty weak, but I definitely expected more of a splash given the amount of money the Knicks had to work with and the floor-raising talent available. The moves they made weren’t bad by any stretch of the imagination (you can debate Payton on your own time), but overall I’m left feeling more underwhelmed than anything else. What say you?

Collin Loring: Cry- — I mean, Ty- — rese, stress may not even be the word. In the days ahead of periods like the draft and free agency, I am fully encompassed by all things New York Knicks. And most often, I end up disappointed. My girlfriend swears this team is good for character building, to which I typically always reply with a request for her to check for gray hairs.

All that aside, I’m feeling relatively the same feelings. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not angry or upset at any of the signings. But it’s hard to get all that excited about Elfrid Payton, Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel and Austin Rivers (despite how much I love the last signing). But they’re all undoubtedly NBA talents, and in comparison to some of the worse deals we saw, I’ll comfortably settle here. Plus, did you see Cade Cunningham the other night? 

A little blue in that orange Oklahoma State jersey wouldn’t hurt…

Tyrese: I’m more partial to Jalen Suggs, myself. Honestly anybody in the top 10 of this class is an A+ draft-wise, so I couldn’t find any reason to complain. 

I tweeted this when it happened, but honestly watching D.J. Augustin sign with the Bucks for three years, $21 million hurt more than losing Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving last summer. Augustin represented something this team desperately needed — someone competent (and realistic!) at point guard who can actually run a pick-and-roll and provide above-average spacing. All the signs were there: he’s played for Tom Thibodeau, he’s a bit older — so if Frank Ntilikina or Dennis Smith Jr. ended up playing really well, he’d almost assuredly be okay taking a bench role — and surely no other team was really gunning for him, so easy market, right? I’ve never been so upset to see a Woj notification in my life. 

I can live with missing out on Gordon Hayward. I can survive missing out on Fred VanVleet. Not being able to get Augustin to the table is a complete gut punch. I get why they did it — cap space is still king; the 2021 draft class is absolutely STACKED; there’s not a pressing need to take on money long-term. But, I still feel like this offseason was hollow. I’m happy Brock Aller is wheeling and dealing, I’m happy that all these contracts are assuredly tradable at the deadline, I’m happy that Cade Cunningham is going to be a Knick, but the team really didn’t address any of the issues they had last season. The spacing is a little better, but not in the positions where you want it (the 1 and 4 spots), and there’s still a massive guard glut, so I don’t know how that’s supposed to be handled. And probably most important of all, Randle and his $18 million contract (and $4 million dead cap in 2021) is still on the team. Am I wrong for feeling like that?

Collin: Not at all. I can only anticipate that this sentiment is shared by thousands and thousands of other Knicks fans. Augustin seemed like the promised land, for all the reasons you mentioned, but instead New York chose to keep drudging through the damn desert, hoping that the vast, flowing river they’ve promised fans will be there when they reach the other side. 

For me, personally, that guy wasn’t a free agent — it was Chris Paul. While I understand the ill will towards taking on the remainder of his contract (essentially two years and $85 million), there’s just something so absolutely invaluable about what he brings to the table as a floor general. 

I watched a lot of Oklahoma City Thunder basketball last season for this very reason — doing the proper research for what I hoped was his inevitable arrival in New York. Paul was brilliantly articulate in everything he did on the court, finishing last season as one of the league’s best players in crunch time. Of all 23 players who fit my incredibly strict search criteria (minimum 35 games played) only Donovan Mitchell averaged more points when closing out close games. Another notable name in the top-10? Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Gee, wonder why. 

That kind of presence would have been life-changing for guys like Ntilikina, RJ Barrett, Kevin Knox, Obi Toppin (especially), and Mitchell Robinson. And being honest here, if we’re not doing it for them, then who exactly are the Knicks catering to? 

So yeah, it’s safe to say that I gave up just about all hope moving forward once Paul was traded to the Phoenix Suns. And I don’t think it’s going to get any easier for me watching him help take Devin Booker to his first playoff appearance next year in a competitive Western Conference. 

Tyrese: It feels like we’re spinning in circles. Cap space! Young talent! Flexibility! Those are all the moves you like to see a rebuilding team make. But sooner or later, you have to turn the corner. If you’re not going to do it now, when the market is flush with players who at least raise your floor, while you still have Mitch and RJ on rookie deals and all of your picks and additional assets, then when?

Cap space is nice, but if all it nets you is second round picks, then HOW valuable is it really? Burks made $2 million last year, scored 15 points per game on solid efficiency… and went for two seconds. What kind of return do you expect when his salary is tripled? Nobody wanted Payton, to the point where you were able to re-sign him (and subsequently give him veto power over trades). Rivers signed one of the Hinkie-est contracts I’ve ever seen (three years, $10 million, with only the first year guaranteed). What exactly is the plan here?

The worst part is they did try to make moves. They tried to get Hayward; they had interest in Vanvleet; they tried to get Malik Beasley. And they struck out on all of them. To their credit, they showed restraint and didn’t go crazy like they did for Joakim Noah or Tim Hardaway Jr., but outside of the big (and mostly old) names, who are you looking for in free agency in 2021? Devonte’ Graham? Kelly Oubre? I applaud this front office for being reserved, but I worry they might be too reserved.

Collin: This seems like a natural reaction, but I agree the Knicks were in position to make some huge moves. What I will commend them on is leaving open the point guard position. To sign Augustin, while an incredibly adept pick-and-roll talent, would limit what fans are hoping will be a legitimate competition for starting point guard. Whether New York has anything in Ntilikina or DSJ will finally be confirmed this year. There is no Ramon Sessions. There’s no Jarrett Jack. No, the Knicks have actually committed to development at that position, something they’ve ignored the last few seasons. It’s hard to be upset with that. 

Tyrese: I think I can take solace in that. I keep repeating this, but this draft class is absolutely packed with franchise-changing talent. And for once, I feel like when this season ends, we’ll have more answers than questions. I also think that if there’s any coach who can maximize talent and put them in the right positions to succeed (relatively speaking), it’s Thibs. This season is probably the most pivotal for the Rose regime, with options and extensions looming. Hopefully, they make the right decisions and return the franchise to prominence. Until then, on to the ping pong balls.

Collin: I am so f***ing tired of talking about ping-pong balls, holy hell. Please let this year be the final installment in what has been an absolute miserable saga for Knicks fans. Regarding Thibodeau, he’ll either prove a savior worth a religion-level following or we’ll find out very quickly that he’s #washed. Obviously I’m hoping for the former, but I’m only putting half a dozen eggs in that basket. Man, extension talk really just gave me a headache. I’m not prepared for the anxiety that those talks and reports will present. But when you look at the guys they brought in this offseason, is there anyone you can see getting legitimately excited about? 

I’m not entirely sold out on Payton, even as the starting point guard. He went for over seven assists and 1.5 steals last season, and that didn’t happen because he was doing his best MVP-Russell Westbrook imitation — in other words, stat-padding. According to Basketball-Reference: the last Knicks point guard to put up those numbers (with a minimum of 30 games started) was Raymond Felton in 2010. And before him? Mark Jackson in 1988. 

Because of Payton’s injuries last year, along with the inconsistency of the Knicks as an organization, I’d say he’s earned another run with the team. (Editor’s note: Duck, Collin!) That’s why I wasn’t too upset with the one-year deal at only $5 million. If he comes out and can build off of some of the more appealing flashes we saw last season, it’ll prove a bargain-bin purchase. The shooting numbers are bad, sure, but what’s to say he couldn’t thrive in a five-man lineup featuring Barrett, Burks, Toppin and Robinson? It’s not that sexy, I know, but you could also swap Burks out for Rivers, another capable 3-point shooter.

The biggest no-no would be continuing to roll Payton out next to Randle. That’s about as poor a lineup as New York can trot out next year, even if they had prime Klay Thompson and Kyle Korver along the wings. I don’t know, maybe I’m wrong. Believe it or not, I have been before. But I think out of all the offseason signings, he’s the one with the largest chance at making a real difference, . 

Tyrese: Collin is a Payton stan. Good to know.

Regardless, my heart’s favorite signing is Rivers (HoopMixtape hive stand up), but I think the best signing by far has been Burks. He’s coming off a fantastic 2019-20, averaging 15 points on 42/39/89 splits, and provides much-needed spacing for a team with inarguably the worst spacing in the league last season. While the numbers may not be eye-popping, Burks provides an element to the team that was missing after the trade of Marcus Morris: pull-up shooting.

Burks took 2.5 pull-up threes per game and hit them at a very efficient 39.4% clip, sixth among those who attempted at least 100 pull-up threes last year. He is also serviceable at running the pick-and-roll, a requirement when playing next to Mitchell or Toppin. He ranked in the 70th percentile for pick-and-roll ball handling during his tenure at Golden State and the 89th after the trade to Philadelphia, which means that he can provide value even if he isn’t the hot hand for the offense that night. I wanted guys who would be able to soak usage and help shoulder the scoring load for RJ, and bargain-bin buckets like Burks (absolute bars, btw) is the best way of making that happen.

Collin: HoopMixtape? It’s time to record your own mixtape. Bars, sir, indeed. Burks is going to be good if he can come out and hit the same percentage of those shots but on a lesser volume. The offense needs to go through whoever New York starts at point guard. I’d be interested to see what his catch-and-shoot numbers looked like though, if you’re so inclined. No matter how many shots he gets, or inevitably starts taking, I agree; his presence will be a welcome one for a Knicks team that made just 9.6 threes per game last season. That’s good for 29th in the league, by the way, if you needed a reminder of how bad the Knicks are from deep. 

I’m also not sure how deep his game goes on the other end, or if he’s even a net positive defender. That’s why I was excited when they brought Ed Davis in via trade from the Utah Jazz. They didn’t use him correctly (just 28 games played) after he had arguably the best season of his career in 2018 with the Brooklyn Nets. Davis was putting up numbers that in comparison to his usage rate just seemed absolutely stupid good. I’m sad to see him go to the Minnesota Timberwolves, but three second round picks (total, via Davis) is great compensation. 

Also, how have we not talked about Nerlens Noel? He’s a younger, more athletic version of Davis and provides New York another rim protector. Between him and Robinson, we’ll arguably see the best Knicks rim protection in years. That being said, I think the best way to close this out would be to just rank the offseason pickups. It’s always interesting to see how different people’s interpretation of talent can vary so widely. Here’s my list in order:

1. Nerlens Noel

2. Obi Toppin

3. Austin Rivers

4. Not bringing back Bobby Portis

5. Alec Burks

6. Elfrid Payton

7. Immanuel Quickley

8. Jacob Evans

9. Omari Spellman

I know we didn’t talk about the last three, but there’s always a chance they break out. Spellman is a stretch four they could use off of the bench, and Evans shot 34 percent from deep in 27 games with Golden State last season. I’m not sure Quickley is NBA-ready. I’d like to see him spend a good bit of the year with the Westchester Knicks, if they have a season. 

Cheers to “meh” signings!

Tyrese: To answer your question, Burks shot 45-of-119 on spot-ups, good for 37.8%. We got shooters now! (Side note: Spellman shot 41% on spot-ups. #TalkSoon). Defensively… he tries. I’ll take “he tries” at this point. I had to watch Julius Randle play defense last year. 

Noel was a fantastic pickup and I couldn’t believe the Knicks got him. I thought for sure he’d end up going to a contender, but I’m not gonna complain. I come from the Kenny Atkinson (haha) school of “48 minutes of rim protection = good,” so having arguably the best rim protection tandem in the league is a huge boon to our defense.

I’d personally rank our acquisitions like this:

1. Burks

2. Noel

3. Rivers

4. Spellman (very high on him from his ‘Nova days; also mad about passing on Mikal Bridges)

5. Quickley

6. Toppin

7. Payton

8. Evans

All in all, a wack offseason in terms of buzz signings, but hopefully this is an abnormality for this new front office and not the norm.