So, apparently, the New York Knicks really are hoping their marriage to Derrick Rose is a long-term thing.
Though team president Phil Jackson has burned through the franchise’s cap space, and then some, to build a fringe playoff contender, the Knicks still have options leading into next summer. They aren’t projected to have max cap space, but they can open up a ton of room by renouncing Derrick Rose (expiring) and trying to offload the newly acquired Joakim Noah into another team’s cap space. The latter scenario might actually be feasible if Noah has a bounce-back year; his new deal, after all, won’t look terrible once the salary cap climbs past $105 million.
The Knicks, if they want, can use those options to chase another high-end point guard. Stephen Curry, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook will all be free agents next summer. Curry is a near lock to stay put, but both Paul and Westbrook might have eyes for other teams, including a Knicks faction headlined by Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis.
Jackson will keep this in mind. But chasing another point guard isn’t the plan, according to the New York Post‘s Marc Berman:
The Knicks are hopeful Rose returns to being an All-Star — if not an MVP — and then acquiring Westbrook becomes a moot point. Jackson would love nothing more than to re-sign Rose to another max extension and use his 2017 cap space to upgrade other role-playing slots, especially in the backcourt.
But as long as Westbrook appears interested, Jackson has to view him as a contingency. Well before the Rose trade and Jeff Hornacek’s hiring as coach, the Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Westbrook would have interest in the Knicks because of the presence of Kristaps Porzingis but they needed to upgrade the coaching staff.
Maxing out Derrick Rose, regardless of how well he plays, is the worst-case scenario for the Knicks. He is forever a health risk, even if many of his setbacks have been freak, unrelated incidents. If he plays like an All-Star and agrees to sign at a steep discount, prioritizing long-term stability over a final cash grab, that’s one thing.
But unless that’s the scenario the Knicks are looking at, their primary goal should remain the same as it did before the Rose trade: Try like hell to improve next season, so that they can enter the discussion for the Pauls and Westbrooks of free agency.
