The New York Knicks enter this offseason needing to determine the best routes going forward for their team. They have already fired their head coach and are in search of a new one, and changes to the roster could be on the horizon as well.
Knicks could have a new look to their starting five next season
According to The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III, there is a chance that the starting five of the Knicks undergoes big changes in the summer.
“I think there’s a 40 percent chance one of the ‘usual starters’ isn’t on the roster opening night,” Edwards wrote. “Brunson is safe. We know that. I also think Josh Hart will be around. He is a good player who doesn’t make too much money (relative to the other guys in the starting unit) and is best friends with Brunson. Never say never, but I’d be surprised if Hart isn’t on the team next season, assuming he still wants to be here. There has been no indication whatsoever that he doesn’t want to be.”
Edwards added that Mikal Bridges’ spot on the roster is dependent on whether or not the Knicks want to extend him. He is extension-eligible this offseason and could command more money if he has a strong season next year, which could entice them to move him.
Edwards further stated that OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns would be centerpieces in big blockbuster moves, given that Brunson is untouchable. Anunoby and Towns are the team’s next two most valuable pieces behind Brunson, and their contracts would suggest that one would have to go in a huge blockbuster deal.
The Knicks need to make roster tweaks this summer
The Knicks’ starting five last season had tons of talent on paper, but they were unable to form great chemistry over the course of the season. Their usual starters of Brunson, Bridges, Anunoby, Hart, and Towns were their worst-performing five-man lineup in the postseason, which is what convinced Tom Thibodeau to insert Mitchell Robinson into the starting lineup during the playoffs.
Regardless of whether the same players are still on the team next year, the next head coach will need to reconfigure the starting five and make the appropriate adjustments. The Knicks have a long offseason ahead, and how they approach free agency and the trade market could have a big impact on their roster construction.
!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(“has-featured-video”,”true”)})}();