For New York Knicks fans hoping the team will make a big move this summer, they may want to lower their expectations in a major way.
The New York Knicks entered the offseason in an interesting position. There was a lot of positive momentum behind the team following a strong showing during the season. They returned to the NBA playoffs in 2022-2023 and ended their decade-long streak of not reaching the second round. For many league observers, they are just one major piece away from being a serious title contender.
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Unfortunately for the New York Knicks, the organization does not have much wiggle room to make major moves outside of a trade. They didn’t have a pick in the first round of the NBA Draft, and they were limited in what they can do in free agency. Yet, the team has been active thus far this offseason.
They were able to talk bench star Josh Hart into opting into the final year of his contract. They traded disgruntled forward Obi Toppin to the Indiana Pacers. They cut ties with Derrick Rose and used the money that freed up on Hart and Jalen Brunson’s college teammate Donte DiVincenzo. Following that slew of moves, it is starting to look very likely that what they have on their roster at the start of July is likely what they will begin training camp with in September.
New York Knicks roster not likely to change any further this summer
On Monday, New York Knicks insider Ian Begley wrote about what could be next for the team and it seems that fans shouldn’t expect much. Following their recent moves, the team now has 14 players and $162 million in salary on the books. All they have available to use to sign players is the veteran’s minimum exception ($2.6 million).
Begley also revealed that a long-rumored Evan Fournier trade may not be as likely since the team freed up roster space for DiVincenzo by trading Toppin. The only way the Knicks could make a major acquisition now would be in a trade and the insider claims they are not “aggressively pursuing” James Harden or Damian Lillard — two superstars that are currently on the trade block.
The New York Knicks have also been linked to a possible deal for Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George, however, LA is in the hunt for Harden and reportedly wants George on the roster to go play with Harden.
As it stands now, it is looking very likely the New York Knicks roster for the 2023-2024 roster is already set with three months to go before the start of training camp.