The New York Knicks are always a center of NBA speculation, particularly when the team enters an offseason with significant salary cap space. In 2020, that is the setting yet again for New York and, while the Knicks often land in the crosshairs of jokes about their inability to land top-tier free agents, that never stops the rumor mill with regard to highly paid players potentially making their way to the nation’s largest market. However, the Knicks could actually be gearing up for a full-fledged rebuild this time around and, if that is the case, a report from Ian Begley of SNY certainly makes sense.
Begley notes that the Knicks “are open to using their cap space to take on undesirable contracts via trade.” This, of course, is not a revolutionary idea for a franchise that missed out on the NBA’s Orlando Bubble after winning only 21 games. It would represent a shift for New York, though, as taking negative-value contracts in order to accumulate future-facing assets is a tried and true method for teams that are openly embracing a long-term approach.
At present, the Knicks have three quality picks (No. 8, No. 27, No. 38) in the 2020 NBA Draft, as well as future picks on the way from Dallas Mavericks and L.A. Clippers. With that in mind, New York is actually in a better position than they have been in recent years, at least with regard to the ability to take it slow and rebuild.
As Begley also notes, New York has considerable salary space this off-season, though the actual cap room could vary based on team option decisions surrounding players like Bobby Portis, Taj Gibson, Wayne Ellington, Elfrid Payton, and Reggie Bullock. Those roster decisions, coupled with ongoing discussions on where the salary cap will actually land for 2020-21, will dictate how much space the Knicks actually have but, at the very least, the team’s new, Leon Rose-led front office could absolutely utilize that flexibility in order to add to the stockpile.
For many NBA observers, it would feel (very) strange to see the Knicks acting like a “normal” rebuilding team, and turning cap space into draft picks and/or young players would be off-brand. Still, New York is under new management and this might be the best approach, particularly when accounting for the team’s current roster.
