Knicks Free Agency Primer and Potential FA Targets

20+ players New York may consider with the MLE exception or on a veteran's minimum contract...

Last offseason, the Knicks made multiple "all-in" blockbusters, drastically altering the roster's makeup. This summer, with many of the other contenders in the Eastern Conference dealing with catastrophic injuries, Leon Rose and the New York front office could choose to bet on continuity and stand pat.

Rose and company may believe that changing the team's head coach and making minor adjustments on the margins via added depth may be enough to conquer the East.

So, which new additions might they be targeting when the NBA's free-agency negotiating window opens at 6 p.m. tonight?

Well, the first issue to address is how much New York will be able to spend on the open market.

Multiple outlets reported last night that the Knicks have declined the $3.5 million team option on P.J. Tucker for 2025-26 and picked up the $1.9 million team option on Ariel Hukporti.

Each of the moves was expected. Hukporti, at 23 years of age, showcased some enticing and impressive flashes of upside in limited minutes last season. When you factor in the Knicks' lack of depth up front (especially considering the likelihood that unrestricted free agent Precious Achiuwa does not return to New York) and Hukporti's option costing less than the veteran's minimum, picking up the option was a relatively easy decision.

As for Tucker, he is on the wrong side of 40 and barely an NBA player at this stage of his career. So, gaining an additional $3.5 million in cap space seems like a no-brainer. However, if I were attempting to read some tea leaves, waiving Tucker could be an indication that New York doesn't have any trades lined up at the moment. Holding onto Tucker's expiring contract (which would not become fully guaranteed until January of 2026) could have been beneficial as an attractive, salary-matching trade chip (assuming they stay under the second apron and can aggregate salaries).

So, as it stands, the Knicks currently have 11 players under contract, leaving them roughly $4 million above the first apron and $8 million below the dreaded second apron (which sits at $207.8 million).

Thus, New York will enter tonight's free agency extravaganza armed with the $5.7 million taxpayer midlevel exception and minimal-level contract slots. (It is worth noting that using the Taxpayer MLE would hard-cap the club at the second apron. Thus, it's conceivable they may prefer to round out the rest of their roster with min-contract players.)

Let's take a look at some names that could be on their wish list:

Luke Kennard (Memphis Grizzlies):
The Knicks need to add some consistent three-point marksmanship (they ranked in the bottom half of the league in three-point percentage over the second half of last season), and Kennard definitely checks that box. Just how good a shooter is he? Consider this: Kennard has converted a whopping 43.8% of his career 3PT attempts, which is the highest percentage among all players in NBA HISTORY with more than 2,000 attempts. However, he would have to accept a significant pay cut to consider New York, as he has earned an average of $13.2 million over the previous four seasons. Two things working in the Knicks' favor: He's coming off a down season in 2024-25 (in which he averaged under 9.0 PPG for just the first time since 2020-21 and shot below 44% from downtown for the first time since 2019-20) and is a CAA client.

Bruce Brown (New Orleans Pelicans):
While Brown isn't a sharpshooter, he's a versatile role player who can positively impact the game on both ends of the floor. After emerging as a key role player on the Nuggets' squad that won the NBA championship in 2023, the Pacers signed Brown to a two-year, $45 million pact. In January 2024, Indiana traded him to the Raptors as part of the Pascal Siakam deal. Then, at the trade deadline this past February, he was shipped from Toronto to New Orleans. In 23 appearances for the Pelicans, he averaged 8.2 points and 4.2 rebounds in 25 minutes a night. He would be a solid "buy low" candidate if he's forced to settle for a make-good contract this summer.

Gary Payton II (Golden State Warriors):
GP3 is similar to Brown in many respects: a defensive-minded energizer with a limited offensive arsenal. Interestingly, Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area reported over the weekend that Payton's return to Golden State "is in serious jeopardy." Poole writes that, according to a source, "it's looking doubtful… Golden State still likes him, and there's still a chance he's back. But they have a lot of moving parts as they work through the Jonathan Kuminga situation, so Gary could land elsewhere next season." Payton has dealt with several serious injuries since signing a three-year, $28 million deal with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2023.

Tyus Jones (Phoenix Suns):
If the Knicks don't feel comfortable relying on 2024 second-round pick Tyler Kolek splitting time with Deuce McBride behind Jalen Brunson, then they may look to invest their cap space in another point guard. If they want to go shopping for a veteran PG, there are plenty of quality candidates, such as Jones, who had to settle for a minimum contract with Phoenix last summer. Jones didn't live up to expectations with the Suns, but he posted phenomenal numbers for the Wizards in 2023-24, averaging 12.0 points, 7.3 assists (vs. just 1.0 turnovers), and 1.6 made three-pointers while shooting over 41% from behind the arc.

Malcolm Brogdon (Washington Wizards):
Back in 2022-23, Brogdon averaged 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists for Boston and edged out Immanuel Quickley for the Sixth Man of the Year award. However, he appeared in fewer than 40 games for Portland in the 2023-24 season and suited up for just 24 contests in Washington this past season. If he's willing to sign for the veteran's minimum, he's worth a flyer.