Empire Writes Back
Fansided

New York Knicks: 6 Dream Free Agents For Summer 2016

By Kenneth Teape

Apr 5, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks general manager Phil Jackson smiles against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second half at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks defeated the 76ers 101 - 91. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 5, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks general manager Phil Jackson smiles against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second half at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks defeated the 76ers 101 - 91. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 7
Next
New York Knicks: 6 Dream Free Agents For Summer 2016
Mar 29, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Nicolas Batum (5) in action against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. The Charlotte Hornets won 100-85. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

Nicolas Batum

Nicolas Batum, like Bazemore, is probably more of the range in which the Knicks will be shopping during free agency. That is not a problem though, as Batum is one of the best two-way players in the NBA and brings a versatile game that can fit in at either shooting guard or small forward.

Batum does a little bit of everything while on the court, and his teams always play better with him on the court than off. He has a +4 net rating for his career while on the court, and has positive offensive and defensive box score plus/minus for his career as well.

His versatility offensively would help cover up some of the holes that the Knicks currently have. He is capable of running an offense with at least 4.8 assists per game in four consecutive seasons; which would have led the Knicks in three of those four seasons. He also showed he can carry more of an offensive load when need be, as he averaged a career-high 14.9 points this past season with the Charlotte Hornets.

Batum is a capable three-point shooter, making 36 percent from deep in his career. He is probably at his best as a third or fourth option on an offense, but his passing ability would be nice for a team that has struggled at the point guard position for multiple seasons. He is not a slouch on the boards either, averaging 5.2 per game for his career with at least 5.6 per game in each of the last six seasons.

Batum has really begun to blossom in the last four seasons, three with the Portland Trail Blazers and one with the Hornets. He will not come cheap this summer, as the Hornets have already said they want to retain him, but he is someone that would greatly help the Knicks on both ends of the court.

Next: Restricted Combo Guard

Home/New York Knicks