Another top free agent target for the New York Knicks has come off the board Monday. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that future Hall of Famer Chris Paul is signing a deal to return to the Los Angeles Clippers for his 21st and likely final season.
Knicks miss out on opportunity to add Chris Paul in free agency
Paul was on the Knicks’ radar to potentially fill in their backup point guard spot. They have enough room to sign a player to a veteran’s minimum contract, and were potentially eyeing Paul to fill in that spot.
Unfortunately for New York, Paul always gave a strong indication that he wanted to stay out West, and now he returns to the organization with which he spent six seasons and the bulk of his prime years.
Knicks will have to pivot in a different direction
As for where the Knicks go from here, there are still some targets left out there, but their options are quickly dwindling. Marcus Smart, another potential target for New York, signed with the Los Angeles Lakers over the weekend, and it doesn’t appear likely that Ben Simmons will sign with them either.
Malcolm Brogdon and Landry Shamet remain as realistic targets, and with the options quickly falling off the board, it may not be long before New York pulls the trigger on a free agent to bring in.
As for the dream of adding Paul to a Knicks team with title aspirations, that will have to remain as just a dream as they will have to pivot in a different direction.
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