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New York Knicks: 2019 free agency primer

By Alan Mena

David Fizdale, New York Knicks. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
David Fizdale, New York Knicks. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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New York Knicks
Steve Mills, New York Knicks. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

The New York Knicks are coming off one of their worst seasons in franchise history for the second time in five years. Will they finally find success during free agency this year?

The summer of 2019 is going to be extremely exciting for the New York Knicks. There is an impressive amount of talent that is hitting the open market that can

According to CBS Sports, here is an accurate list of the top 20 Free Agents of 2019:

1. Kevin Durant (30) – PO
2. Kawhi Leonard (27)- PO
3. Kyrie Irving (27)- PO
4. Kemba Walker (29)- UFA
5. Klay Thompson (29)- UFA
6. Kristaps Porziņģis (23)- RFA
7. DeMarcus Cousins (28)- UFA
8. Jimmy Butler (29)- PO                                                                                                                                          9. Nikola Vučević (28)- UFA                                                                                                                                    10. Tobias Harris (26)- UFA
11. Khris Middleton (27)- PO
12. D’Angelo Russell (23)- UFA
13. JJ Redick (34)- UFA
14. Malcolm Brogdon (26)- RFA
15. Al Horford (33)- PO
16. Marc Gasol (34)- PO
17. Julius Randle (24)- PO
18. Brook Lopez (31)- UFA
19. DeAndre Jordan (30)- UFA
20. Bojan Bogdanović (30)- UFA

Some honorable mentions are: Jonas Valančiūnas, Patrick Beverley, Harrison Barnes, Ricky Rubio, Hassan Whiteside, Kent Bazemore, Goran Dragić, Thaddeus Young, Terry Rozier, Terrence Ross, Danny Green, Darren Collison, Nikola Mirotić, Rajon Rondo, Al-Farouq Aminu, Rodney Hood, Emmanuel Mudiay, Elfrid Payton, Jeremy Lamb, Derrick Rose, Kelly Oubre Jr., Bobby Portis, Rondae-Hollis Jefferson, Ivica Zubac, T.J. McConnell, and Enes Kanter.

While this list of honorable mentions is extensive, it includes a lot of talent that simply can’t be ignored.

Based on their current free agents, the Knicks specifically need to target depth in all areas except the PG position and have a plethora of options to pursue this summer.

Salary cap

Here are the top seven teams who have the most salary cap available to make a run at these free agents:

  1. New York Knicks, $72.9M
  2. Los Angeles Clippers, $59.7M
  3. Brooklyn Nets, $54.6M
  4. Dallas Mavericks, $52.2M
  5. Atlanta Hawks, $50.6M
  6. Indiana Pacers, $48.8M
  7. Los Angeles Lakers, $41.8M

An important fact to note is that while none of these teams are currently championship contenders, they can shift that narrative by adding any free agent from the top twenty or my honorable mentions list.

Below I will go into detail of a realistic list of five players (excluding superstars) the Knicks can sign in July.

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