The New York Knicks have been looking to swing for the fences in free agency this summer for years, to the point that it’s weird to think that there’s a chance they strike out. We haven’t even heard any rumblings of a potential Plan B, because all of the rumors out of New York involved superstars flockng to Madison Square Garden.
One such player the Knicks are interested in acquiring is Kyrie Irving, who is viewed as a strong lean to leave Boston and head to New York this summer. The issue is the Nets are considered the favorites to acquire his services, and as such are now also among the favorites to get Kevin Durant.
This means the Knicks should really start working on a Plan B as they would have to look elsewhere for a point guard if they wanted to go in that direction, and according to a new report, another soon-to-be-former Celtic is on their wishlist.
Marc Berman of the New York Post reports that in the event he would become available, New York would be interested in bringing Terry Rozier in to run the point.
In that scenario, Rozier would be an unrestricted free agent and the Knicks would have serious interest. If Rozier entered free agency as restricted, the Knicks would be much more cautious because Boston can match any offer and their cap money would get tied up as the Celtics decide.
There are some in the organization who wouldn’t regard Rozier as too far a step down from Kyrie Irving because of his age — 25. Rozier, who went to Louisville, also knows Kentucky’s Kevin Knox.
The scenario in question is what would happen to Rozier, a restricted free agent, if the Celtics renounced his rights to free up a little more room to pay Kemba Walker, who is rumored to have Boston atop his list of potential destinations in free agency. Rozier would then be free to do whatever he wants. Believing the drop off from Irving to Rozier isn’t that steep of a drop from Irving puts a whole lot of stock in his playoff performance in 2018 and a tough situation last year, but if New York believes that to be the case, perhaps Scary Terry will give the Knicks a look this summer.
