The New York Knicks enter this season as a potential title contender in the Eastern Conference. New York is equipped with an incredibly deep roster, but they may not be able to keep everyone along for the ride.
The Knicks were highly-active in the free agent market
The Knicks have brought in a wealth of free agents this offseason, including Jordan Clarkson, Guerschon Yabusele, Malcolm Brogdon, Landry Shamet, and Garrison Mathews among others. Due to financial restrictions, the Knicks will likely need to make a trade in order to keep those they prioritize the most.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks explains the Knicks’ situation, and expects them to make a trade in the near future.
“Because they improved their bench in the offseason by signing Guerschon Yabusele to the tax mid-level exception, they are hard-capped at the second apron,” Marks said. “The restriction will force New York to trade either one of its draft picks from last June (Tyler Kolek or Pacome Dadiet) if the goal is to retain veterans Malcolm Brogdon and Landry Shamet.”
“Trading Dadiet's $2.8 million salary would allow New York to sign a 15th player during the season,” he added.
In short, the Knicks may need to depart with one of their younger pieces in order to maximize the talent they’ve signed to the roster. The Knicks are officially in win-now mode, so developing rookies and second-year players isn’t high on the Knicks’ priority list for this season and beyond. Their core of Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, and Karl-Anthony Towns are all under contract for the next few seasons, giving the team a solid core to work with as they aim to snap a 52-year title drought.