NBA free agency is less than a month away, so, naturally, it’s time to see what Jalen Rose, former player-turned-ESPN-analyst, thinks is going to happen.
While recording Grantland’s Jalen and Jacoby podcast (h/t Blazers Edge), Rose predicted that the New York Knicks will sign two of Tobias Harris, Paul Millsap and Greg Monroe.
You can catch him riffing on those musings in the below video (at the 42:30 mark for those who aren’t able to load it right now):
https://youtu.be/u2sDJUhLtzE?t=42m30s
“So three people are going to be in play for the two Knicks slots,” Rose says. “I just named two of them (Harris and Millsap)…Two of those three guys, and I’m putting Moose (Monroe) as the third, will be with the Knicks. If Moose is not with the Knicks, Boston will make a big push.”
Okay, so, let’s roll with this.
It’s not implausible for the Knicks to sign two of these guys when thinking financially. They’re going to have $25-plus million in cap space, and all three of these players aren’t max players beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Still, it’s unlikely.
For starters, Harris is a restricted free agent. The Orlando Magic can match whatever offer he receives. Though they could certainly let him go, forcing their hand will almost assuredly take $12-15 million annually, which would most likely preclude the Knicks from making legitimate pushes for the unrestricted Millsap and Monroe.
If the Knicks do sign two guys, it’s beyond unlikely that the combination ends up being Millsap and Harris. Millsap is a power forward, and Harris is a combo forward. The Knicks already have Carmelo Anthony, who they can also slot at the 3 and 4 spots. Signing both Harris and Millsap would be overkill.
Signing one of those guys to partner with Monroe would make more sense. Monroe is best suited at the 5 anyway—though he’s a shoddy rim protector—and it frees Anthony to split time at the 3 and 4 slots with Harris or Millsap.
Now, of the three players listed, Monroe is viewed as the biggest flight risk. That’s true now more so than ever.
The Detroit Pistons just acquired stretch 4 Ersan Ilyasova from the Milwaukee Bucks, who is a better complement to Andre Drummond, and better fit for head coach Stan Van Gundy’s one-in, four-out offense.
Are all three of those guys worth keeping an eye on if you’re a Knicks fan? Absolutely. But that’s true of any big-name or second-tier free agent. The Knicks have money to burn through for the first time since 2010, so they’re going to be linked to anyone and everyone, not just Harris, Millsap and Monroe.
Ergo, don’t get your custom-embroidered jerseys just yet. There are weeks to go until free agency, meaning there are a crap ton of rumors the Knicks have yet to slog through.
