Knicks Rumors: Jrue Holiday, Jeff Teague Are Top Free Agent Targets
New York Knicks Rumors: Point guards Jrue Holiday and Jeff Teague reportedly top the Knicks wish list in free agency.
New York Knicks rumors are going to start picking up steam. The Knicks have an important offseason ahead of them. The 2017 NBA Draft will give them their first real chance to add a young building block to add with Kristaps Porzingis. The Carmelo Anthony trade saga will undoubtedly dominate headlines, but how the Knicks improve their roster will be important.
One position the Knicks desperately need to upgrade is point guard. They have a veteran in Courtney Lee at shooting guard. Anthony, for now, is holding down small forward. Porzingis is the future at power forward, while Kyle O’Quinn and Willy Hernangomez will start at center until Joakim Noah‘s suspension is over.
Phil Jackson traded for Derrick Rose last offseason, but the moved didn’t work out as planned. Moving on from Rose is the logical move. He showed some explosiveness, but was a sieve defensively, looking disinterested at times on that end of the court.
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Upgrading that spot will be important to the Knicks success next season and in the future. There are some great point guard prospects in the 2017 NBA Draft. Right now, the Knicks are in the seventh spot in the draft order.
They are in prime position to land NC State’s Dennis Smith, Kentucky’s De’Aaron Fox, or international player Frank Ntilikana. If the Knicks get lucky in the lottery, they could have a shot at Washington’s Markelle Fultz or UCLA’s Lonzo Ball.
If the draft board does not fall in the Knicks order, there are some options in free agency. Two players to keep an eye on are New Orleans Pelicans’ Jrue Holiday and Indiana Pacers’ Jeff Teague.
ESPN New York’s Ian Begley reported that Holiday and Teague are two players people within the organization would like to sign this offseason.
"What can $19 million get the Knicks in free agency? That’s unclear at this point.But it doesn’t seem like enough to lure New Orleans point guard Jrue Holiday or Indiana Pacers point guard Jeff Teague, who some in the organization see as potential free-agent targets, per league sources.The Knicks would have to move some money off of the books to afford either Holiday or Teague."
While Begley points out it is unlikely that the Knicks can land Holiday or Teague with that money, it is not out of the realm of possibilities. There are a few things the Knicks could do to clear some more money, such as trading Anthony or releasing Noah via the stretch provision.
Begley said that it is very unlikely that Noah gets released, even though it would save the Knicks about $9 million. That would be a nice chunk of change to have available to them, but the Knicks have a lot of work to do before becoming contenders. Saving a move like that until they are closer to contending would make more sense.
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Adding either Holiday or Teague would be a solid addition for the Knicks. The Knicks have to find a way to add more talent to the roster one way or another, which is easier said than done.