Knicks Rumors: Meeting Set With Austin Rivers
New York Knicks Rumors: The Knicks are expected to meet with free agent point guard Austin Rivers sometime today in Orlando.
New York Knicks rumors are going to pick up, as NBA Free Agency is officially underway. Armed with around $30 million dollars, the Knicks have money to spend and holes to fill on their roster. With only Derrick Rose, Justin Holiday, Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis and Kyle O’Quinn currently under contract, the Knicks have plenty of spots to fill.
Just by looking at that list, the Knicks need to fill two spots in their starting lineup at shooting guard and center. The center spot looks like it is going to be filled early in free agency, as the Knicks have been heavily connected to Joakim Noah, formally of the Chicago Bulls.
Noah is someone that Rose would like to be reunited with in New York, and it looks like it will happen in the near future. At shooting guard, the Knicks have been connected to numerous players.
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Kent Bazemore is someone that the Knicks are expected to pursue, but he looks like he will price himself out of the Knicks’ range. Eric Gordon and Courtney Lee are two more players that have been linked to the Knicks as well. The Knicks have reportedly made a phone call to Lee already, as he would be a solid fit as a three-and-D guy.
But, the Knicks are also in need of an upgrade on their bench. As things currently sit, the Knicks do not even have a bench so it will be an area they need to address in the coming days. One player they are reportedly looking at as a potential addition to their bench is Austin Rivers.
Rivers, who played last season with his dad, Doc Rivers, with the Los Angeles Clippers, is an unrestricted free agent this summer. He has already met with the Clippers, and he is expected to meet with the Knicks next according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.
Sources: Clippers officials met with Austin Rivers Thursday in Orlando, and Rivers is expected to talk with Knicks, possibly Portland Friday
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2016
Rivers averaged 8.9 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game last season in 67 games, seven of which were starts. In the postseason Rivers stepped up as the Clippers battled numerous injuries, averaging 10.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 24 minutes per game.
Rivers would be an upgrade for the Knicks on the bench because they currently have no other options to go to. But, Rivers has fallen well short of expectations since being the 10th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. He is not a great shooter, making only 32.9 percent from deep in his career and 63.7 percent from the foul line.
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The Knicks would be smart to see how the rest of the market plays out for point guards, as it is arguably the weakest position this free agent class. With some numbers we have seen thrown around in the early going for other players, the Knicks should wait it out on Rivers, who is still young at 23-years old and could land a lucrative deal as a first time free agent.