The New York Knicks and team president Phil Jackson are going to have to get rather creative to upgrade what is currently a substandard roster that saw the team win just 32 games this past regular season.
Without a ton of assets to trade for proven players and lacking the cap room to sign elite-level free agents, it’s going to be a difficult situation for the downtrodden franchise.
This won’t stop New York from trying its hardest to field a more competitive team next season.
According to ESPN’s Ian Begley, one potential trade target has caught the team’s eye heading into the summer:
“The trade route is an option that had been discussed among members of the front office late in the season, per sources with knowledge of the talks; one player some in the organization are fond of is Darren Collison, who backed up Rondo in Sacramento this year, sources say,” the insider reported. “Do the Knicks have the pieces to deal for Collison, scheduled to make $5.2 million next season? That’s unclear. But if they can, such a transaction would probably leave the club with enough money to spend on another starting-caliber free agent.”
Assets heading to Sacramento in this potential deal has to be the sticking point. While Begley is correct in pointing out that the team can absorb some contracts in a trade, it doesn’t have many attractive pieces on the roster.
In addition to this, Sacramento might very well push back on any potential Darren Collison deal. With both Rajon Rondo and Seth Curry set to become free agents, the Kings could very well decided to hang on to the backup point guard.
Collison, 28, has played each of the past two seasons in Sacramento. He averaged 14.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists for the team during the 2015-16 campaign.
That came on the heels of the UCLA product starting all 45 games in which he appeared during the 2014-15 season, averaging a career high 16.1 points in the process.
Needless to say, Collison would be a marked upgrade at the point guard position in New York. It just remains to be seen whether it can lure the Kings into a trade here.