New York Knicks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Royal Ivey To Join Knicks’ Coaching Staff

June 2nd, 2018 at 5:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Thunder assistant Royal Ivey will accept a position on David Fizdale’s coaching staff with the Knicks, posts Ian Begley on ESPN Now.

Ivey, who grew up in New York, is in the process of finalizing a deal with the organization. He had interest from other teams, including the Sixers, before the opportunity with the Knicks arose, according to Begley.

Ivey has been part of Billy Donovan’s staff in Oklahoma City for the past two seasons. He played for four teams during a 10-year NBA career, finishing with the Thunder in 2014. He has prior experience with Fizdale, who was an assistant coach in Atlanta when Ivey played there.

Five Key Offseason Questions: New York Knicks

June 1st, 2018 at 5:29pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks’ 29-53 record in 2017/18 was technically the team’s worst mark of the last three years, but the season as a whole didn’t feel like the worst of those three. Because the Knicks entered the ’17/18 campaign with reduced expectations, finishing 24 games below .500 wasn’t a massive disappointment — it was expected.

Of course, these wouldn’t be the modern-day Knicks if there wasn’t at least some drama and heartbreak. Joakim Noah, exiled from the team after an altercation with head coach Jeff Hornacek, was responsible for much of the drama, while Kristaps Porzingis‘ ACL tear provided the heartbreak.

Assuming Porzingis can make a full recovery from that ACL tear, the injury may actually benefit the Knicks in the long term, since Porzingis’ long recovery will force the club to exercise patience in its rebuilding process. With David Fizdale assuming the reins from Hornacek, there’s some reason for optimism in New York, but the team will have several important decisions on its plate this offseason.

Here are five key questions facing the franchise this summer:

1. What’s going on at the center position?

For much of the season, we wrote about a logjam at the center spot on the Knicks’ depth chart. After a promising rookie season, Willy Hernangomez was out of the rotation, and the same was true of the highly-paid Noah, as Enes Kanter and Kyle O’Quinn played the majority of the minutes at the five.

Now, Hernangomez is a Hornet, Noah’s future with the franchise is uncertain, and Kanter and O’Quinn both have player option decisions to make for 2018/19, raising questions about who exactly will be manning the middle for the Knicks next season.

Let’s start with the player options. O’Quinn’s decision looks simple — he’ll opt out. At that point, it will be up to the Knicks how aggressively they want to try to keep him. O’Quinn figures to get a multiyear deal, and he’ll be in line for a raise over last year’s $4MM salary.

Kanter, meanwhile, has a slightly trickier decision on his option. Exercising it seems like the right move, since he won’t match his $18.6MM option salary on the open market. However, he could exceed that figure in terms of total salary on a multiyear contract, which is why he’s been talking about opting out. If Kanter were to pick up his option, it would reduce the number of decisions for the Knicks to make, but this situation remains very much up in the air.

On the Noah front, there has been talk about waiving him after September 1, when the team could keep his $18.53MM cap hit for 2018/19 on its books, stretching his 2019/20 cap charge ($19.3MM) across three seasons. By the start of September, the Knicks’ center situation will be clearer, so perhaps it will make sense to jettison Noah if the team has a couple other solid options at the position. But with a new head coach in place and no rush to clear cap room, it might be worth keeping Noah around to see if he can bounce back at all after a lost season.

2. Is the Knicks’ long-term point guard currently on the roster?

Having previously had a glut of talent at the center position, the Knicks now find themselves with several options at point guard. However, as was the case at the five, the point guard situation could become unsettled quickly. Emmanuel Mudiay and Trey Burke will both be eligible for free agency in 2019, and the Knicks seem increasingly convinced that Frank Ntilikina might be more effective off the ball.

Ntilikina’s role will be the most pressing question for the Knicks to address, since no player on the roster is under team control for longer than the 19-year-old — no matter where he plays, he’s a future building block.

There’s no question about which position former lottery picks Mudiay or Burke should be playing, but it remains to be seen whether they can be reliable long-term contributors for the Knicks. Although Burke looked great in 36 games for New York last season, his previous 267 NBA games were much more of a mixed bag. As for Mudiay, he has also been inconsistent since entering the league in 2015, but he’s still just 22 years old, and a full training camp with the Knicks could give him a better chance to unlock his potential next season.

3. What will the Knicks do with the No. 9 pick?

While the Knicks could simply enter next season with Ntilikina, Mudiay, and Burke at the point guard spot and figure things out over the course of the year, the team’s 2018 first-rounder may provide an opportunity to land a long-term solution at the position. If Trae Young and/or Collin Sexton are on the board when New York picks at No. 9, either one might represent the best player(s) available, and a rebuilding franchise like the Knicks should be prioritizing talent over need.

Still, the Knicks will have other options. Small forwards Mikal Bridges and Miles Bridges have frequently been linked to the club, and they rank right behind Sexton at 10th and 11th on Jonathan Givony’s big board at ESPN.com, so they wouldn’t be reaches at No. 9. Villanova’s Bridges, in particular, would be a nice fit on a Knicks squad that could use a sharpshooting wing with defensive versatility.

4. Will Kristaps Porzingis be extended this offseason?

Porzingis is one of 23 players eligible for a rookie scale extension, and his case is perhaps the most interesting of the bunch. On the surface, a max extension for Porzingis as soon as possible seems like the logical move for both sides, but there are mitigating factors in play. Porzingis will still be several months away from returning to the court on July 1, when he first become extension-eligible. The Knicks might want to wait and monitor his rehab process before committing $150MM+ to a player recovering from a major knee injury.

It’s also not a certainty that Porzingis would rush into a long-term agreement with the Knicks. He has expressed some frustration with the franchise over the last couple years, and while he seems enthusiastic about the hiring of Fizdale, he may not be ready to sign away his next five seasons without having played a game for his new head coach.

Throw in the fact that waiting until 2019 on a new deal for Porzingis could give the Knicks more financial flexibility next summer, and an early extension is hardly a slam dunk. It wouldn’t surprise me if the two sides do get something done, but if they do, I think it’ll happen closer to the mid-October deadline than to July 1, when that extension window first opens.

5. Who are the trade candidates on the Knicks’ roster?

With the Knicks not looking to contend right away, the club should be willing to listen to trade offers on pieces who could help other teams immediately and may not be part of New York’s long-term plans. Courtney Lee is the most obvious candidate here — he’s coming off a very productive season (12.0 PPG, .454/.406/.919 shooting). While he’s not cheap, the remainder of Lee’s contract (two years, $25MM) isn’t bad at all compared to some of the price tags on other lesser 3-and-D players around the NBA. Lee’s name came up in trade rumors prior to the 2018 deadline, and I’d expect it to happen again this offseason.

Outside of Lee, the Knicks don’t have many clear trade candidates. Noah’s contract is virtually unmovable, Ron Baker has negative trade value, and Tim Hardaway Jr. isn’t going anywhere. The only other player who might make sense as a veteran trade chip is forward Lance Thomas. The native New Yorker isn’t really a bargain at $7.1MM, but his non-guaranteed salary for 2019/20 may appeal to teams, and he can be a useful defender and role player — even if he won’t necessarily live up to the Draymond Green comparison from his new head coach.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Knicks financially:

Guaranteed Salary

Joakim Noah ($18,530,000)
Tim Hardaway Jr. ($17,325,000)
Courtney Lee ($12,253,780)
Lance Thomas ($7,119,650)
Kristaps Porzingis ($5,697,054)
Ron Baker ($4,544,400): Exercised player option
Emmanuel Mudiay ($4,294,480)
Frank Ntilikina ($4,155,720)
Damyean Dotson ($1,378,242)
Total: $75,298,326

Player Options

Enes Kanter ($18,622,514)
Kyle O’Quinn ($4,256,250)
Total: $22,878,764

Team Options

None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Trey Burke ($1,795,015)¹
Troy Williams ($1,544,951)²
Total: $3,339,966

Restricted Free Agents

None

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

No. 9 overall pick ($3,708,089)
Michael Beasley ($1,499,698): Non-Bird rights
Jarrett Jack ($1,499,698): Non-Bird rights
Total: $6,707,485

Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000

Projected Cap Room: None

There are a number of variables in play when it comes to cap space for the Knicks. Our projection assumes that Kanter will pick up his player option and that the team will retain all 10 players currently under contract – including the non-guaranteed deals – along with its first-round pick. Combining all those cap hits would take team salary to almost exactly $101MM.

Footnotes:

Burke’s salary becomes guaranteed for $100K after July 10 and guaranteed for $400K after the first game of the 2018/19 regular season.
Williams’ salary becomes guaranteed for $100K after August 1 and guaranteed for $200K after the first game of the 2018/19 regular season.

Note: Rookie scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Knicks To Host Trae Young For Private Workout

May 31st, 2018 at 3:18pm CST by Luke Adams

Oklahoma guard Trae Young has elected to grant the Knicks a private workout, a source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post. Young, who intends to work out for “a handful” of clubs, is still figuring out his schedule, so the date of the workout remains unclear, per Berman.

Young, widely viewed as a top-eight prospect, isn’t expected to be on the board when the Knicks pick at No. 9. Even if he’s available, he may not be the first choice for a New York club with multiple point guards already on the roster and a more glaring need on the wing. Still, Young is very much on the Knicks’ radar due to his high upside, sources tell Berman.

According to Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com (Twitter link), the Suns, Kings, Hawks, Grizzlies, Knicks, and Sixers have already “passed through” Oklahoma to talk to staff and faculty about Young. The Cavaliers have also been in touch with the program about Young, Zagoria adds.

In Jonathan Givony’s latest mock draft for ESPN.com, he has Young coming off the board at No. 6 to Orlando, writing that the 19-year-old is a “highly skilled scorer and passer with unlimited range on his jump shot and tremendous instincts in the pick-and-roll.”

Ron Baker Exercises 2018/19 Player Option

May 31st, 2018 at 10:14am CST by Luke Adams

Knicks guard Ron Baker has exercised his player option for the 2018/19 season and will remain under contract with the team for one more season, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The option will pay Baker a salary of $4,544,400.

Baker, 25, joined the Knicks as an undrafted free agent out of Wichita State at the start of the 2016/17 season. After impressing the team in his rookie season, the 6’4″ guard inked a two-year deal last summer, with New York utilizing its full room exception to lock him up.

In the first year of his new contract, Baker was limited to 29 games, due in part to a season-ending shoulder injury. He averaged 2.4 PPG and 1.6 APG with a .339/.333/.769 shooting line in 13.3 minutes per contest. Those modest numbers made Baker’s 2018/19 option a lock to be exercised.

Baker’s decision continues a trend of an increasing number of NBA veterans picking up player options rather than turning them down. During the 2016 and 2017 offseasons, only eight of 53 player options were exercised. However, Baker is already the seventh player to opt into a contract this spring, joining Jeremy Lin (Nets), Cory Joseph (Pacers), Wesley Johnson (Clippers), Wesley Matthews (Mavericks), Kosta Koufos (Kings), and Jason Smith (Wizards).

Hawks, Suns Interested In Michael Beasley?

May 29th, 2018 at 3:24pm CST by Luke Adams

3:24pm: John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 disputes the notion that the Suns have any interest in a reunion with Beasley, tweeting that the report is just a case of an agent pushing his client.

8:23am: As Michael Beasley‘s one-year contract with the Knicks nears its expiration date, multiple teams are believed to be eyeing the veteran forward, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. A source tells Berman that the Hawks and Suns have interest in Beasley, who is expected to be pursued by at least five teams when he reaches free agency in July.

Beasley, 29, enjoyed one of his most productive NBA seasons in 2017/18, averaging 13.2 PPG and 5.6 RPG in 74 games (30 starts) for the Knicks. His .507 FG% and .395 3PT% were also well above his career rates.

According to Berman, Beasley is a fan of new Knicks head coach David Fizdale, whose time as an assistant in Miami overlapped with Beasley’s stint with the Heat. However, New York only has Non-Bird rights on the former second overall pick, limiting the team’s ability to offer him a raise — the Knicks would likely have to use their mid-level exception to sign Beasley.

“He definitely wants to come back to New York and play for Fizdale,” a source close to Beasley told Berman. “Fizdale is another plus. But it’s still a business.”

A source suggests to Berman that if the Knicks were to offer Beasley their full MLE, even for just one year, it “may be satisfactory.” I’d be pretty surprised if Beasley – who remains a defensive liability – receives a salary exceeding $8MM, but a one-year contract along those lines could make some sense for the Knicks, who will be without Kristaps Porzingis in the frontcourt to start the 2018/19 season.

New York isn’t expected to pursue top free agents this summer, and re-signing Beasley to a one-year deal would allow him to gain Early Bird rights for the summer of 2019. That would allow the club to make a longer-term decision on him a year from now, when the front office will have a clearer sense of how its cap room should be used.

Still, with the Hawks and Suns among the teams expected to kick the tires on Beasley this summer, and no guarantee that the Knicks won’t use their MLE on another player (or players), a return to New York is far from a lock.

Draft Workouts: Jazz, Warriors, Knicks, Suns

May 28th, 2018 at 5:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Jazz worked out Shake Milton (SMU), Angel Delgado (Seton Hall), Theo Pinson (North Carolina), Omari Spellman (Villanova), Thomas Wilder (Western Michigan) and Elijah Stewart (USC) on Monday, according to team’s Twitter feed. Milton, a borderline first-round guard prospect ranked No. 34 by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, headlined that group.

The Jazz will host six more prospects on Tuesday — Kameron Chatman (Detroit), Sedrick Barefield (Utah), Kenneth Ogbe (Utah Valley), Dayon Goodman (Westminster), Tyler Rawson (Utah) and Ryan Richardson (Weber State) (Twitter links).

We have more draft workout news:

Wichita State’s Landry Shamet worked out for the Warriors on Sunday, Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com tweets. The point guard is ranked No. 42 by Givony.
Syracuse swingman Tyus Battle, rated No. 32 by Givony, worked out for the Knicks on Friday, Zagoria reports in another tweet. Small forward Brian Bowen, who was ineligible to play college ball last season, worked out for New York the same day and the Lakers on Sunday.
The Suns brought in UCLA’s Aaron Holiday and Anfernee Simons, who spent a post-grad year at IMG Academy, and four other prospects on Monday, the team tweets. Holiday is rated No. 17 by Givony while Simons is ranked No. 21. Hamidou Diallo (Kentucky), Tony Carr (Penn State), Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk (Kansas) and Bruce Brown (Miami, Fla.) joined them.

Knicks' Preferences With Mikal and Miles Bridges

May 27th, 2018 at 3:08pm CST by marksuleymanov

As the Celtics prepare for a Game 7 showdown against the Cavaliers, Al Horford‘s story of redemption in the postseason is an intriguing storyline, Chris Mannix of Yahoo! Sports writes. In 2015, then a member of the Hawks, Horford thought he was headed for the NBA Finals after two quick postseason series victories. A sweep at the hands of the Cavaliers that year ended those dreams.

Horford has now become a key part of the Celtics’ core and once again, he will need to get past LeBron James and the Cavaliers if he wants to reach the NBA Finals. A disappointing series aside, Horford has been a positive influence on a young Celtics roster that has faced injuries to several of its star players.

“He’s been such a stabilizing force since he walked into our locker room,” head coach Brad Stevens said. “He provides a very calming influence to the younger players.”

Check out more news and notes from the Atlantic Division:

While injuries to Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward put a damper on the Celtics‘ original plans, the team is still one win away from the NBA Finals. Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel writes that with a healthy roster next season, the Celtics are poised to become the latest NBA super team. One scout Winderman quotes in the story compared a healthy Celtics roster to what the Warriors assembled out west.
Both Mikal Bridges and Miles Bridges fit the bill for the type of player the Knicks are seeking in the NBA Draft. Both players are roughly the same size, have similar names and are expected to be available when the Knicks select a player with their ninth overall pick. Marc Berman of the New York Post breaks down both players, examining which one is a better fit for New York’s roster.
Ian Begley of ESPN has several notes pertaining to the Knicks’ draft strategy for next month. League officials have said that Missouri’s Michael Porter Jr. and Wendell Carter Jr. have been mentioned by Knicks officials as possible targets but it’s unlikely either is available by the time the Knicks’ turn comes. Also, Begley notes Mikal Bridges is currently ranked ahead of Miles Bridges by the Knicks.
Derek Bodner of The Athletic (subscription required) answers several Sixers-related questions in his latest mailbag. In particular, Bodner addresses the possibility of Philadelphia pursuing Kawhi Leonard and how he would fit on the current roster.

Knicks Notes: Porzingis, No. 9 Pick, Coaches, Workouts

May 25th, 2018 at 3:18pm CST by Luke Adams

Since being hired by the Knicks earlier this month, new head coach David Fizdale has talked repeatedly about making it a priority to connect with his new star, Kristaps Porzingis. On Thursday, Porzingis finally reciprocated some of Fizdale’s love, tweeting that he had a “great conversation” on the phone with Fizdale, and is “excited” about the hiring.

As Ian Begley writes at ESPN.com, Porzingis’ tweet isn’t a whole lot to go on, but it looks like a positive sign for the relationship between the big man and the Knicks’ new head coach. Porzingis didn’t always have the rosiest relationship with former head coach Jeff Hornacek, and skipped his exit meeting with Knicks brass – including Steve Mills – in 2017, so it’s important to get him on board with the franchise’s direction as he becomes extension-eligible for the first time this offseason.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

While it’s possible that the nation’s leading scorer, Trae Young, could still be on the board when the Knicks pick at No. 9, they should resist the urge to draft him, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post, who hears from sources that the club has “a genuine yen” for the Oklahoma guard.
In addition to being linked to Young, the Knicks are also believed to have interest in Miami guard Lonnie Walker. Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype passes along a report connecting Walker to the Knicks, and confirms separately with a source that New York is “very interested” in the Hurricanes freshman.
Three Knicks assistants who were with the team last season – Jerry Sichting, Corey Gaines, and Dave Bliss – won’t be back next season as new coach David Fizdale reshapes the staff, per Stefan Bondy and Frank Isola of The New York Daily News.
Seton Hall’s Desi Rodriguez and Michigan’s Charles Matthews had pre-draft workouts with the Knicks, according to ESPN’s Ian Begley (Twitter links), who cites their respective Instagram accounts.

Draft Notes: Wright-Foreman, Davis, Clippers, Kings

May 24th, 2018 at 10:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Hofstra’s Justin Wright-Foreman is returning to school for his senior year, he announced on Twitter. The 6’1” point guard averaged 24.4 PPG and 3.2 APG in his junior season. Ole Miss guard Terence Davis is also going back to school for his senior campaign, Jeff Goodman of ESPN tweets. The 6’4” Davis averaged 13.8 PPG and 6.2 RPG in his junior year.

In other draft-related news:

The Clippers and Lakers worked out forwards Omari Spellman (Villanova) and Terry Larrier (UConn) on Thursday, Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com tweets. Larrier also has workouts lined up with the Nets (June 5), Knicks (June 6) and Mavericks (June 14), Zagoria adds in another tweet. Spellman is ranked No. 49 by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony on his Top 100 prospects list.
Seton Hall big man Angel Delgado will work out for the Jazz in the near future after visiting the Lakers on Thursday, according to Zagoria (Twitter link).
The Kings will bring in centers Jock Landale (St. Mary’s) and Dusan Ristic (Arizona); forwards Todd Withers and Billy Preston; and guards Joel Berry (North Carolina) and Jordan McLaughlin (USC) on Friday, James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets.
Rhode Island guard E.C. Matthews has worked out for the Nets, Knicks and Celtics, Zagoria tweets.

Atlantic Notes: Ivey, DiVincenzo, Lin, Bridges

May 23rd, 2018 at 10:39pm CST by clarkcrum

In some similar news for two different franchises from the Atlantic Division, both the Knicks and the Sixers are reportedly interested in hiring Royal Ivey as an assistant coach, reports Michael Scotto of The Athletic and Ian Begley of ESPN.

Ivey, who is from New York City, has been an assistant coach for the Thunder for the last two seasons after starting his post-playing career as a coach for their G League team, the Blue, but could perhaps be looking for an opportunity closer to home.

Per Begley, Ivey has already interviewed with the Knicks for a position of new coach David Fizdale’s staff, while the Sixers are reported to simply have interest in the 36 year old at this time.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

Celtics’ President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge is apparently interested in combine standout and Villanova guard Donte DiVincenzo, as the former NBA guard and the current Wildcat went to lunch together after DiVincenzo’s workout in Boston, reports Adam Zagoria of SportsNet New York.
In a wide-ranging piece for The Athletic, Mike Vorkunov details the return from injury for Nets’ point guard Jeremy Lin, who signed a three-year, $36 million contract in 2016 but has been unable to play very often since signing the deal, appearing in only 37 games in the past two seasons. Lin now says he is nearly ready to play and “pretty much at that point where everything is good to go.”
One target and/or option for the Knicks at No. 9 in the upcoming 2018 NBA Draft is Villanova swingman Mikal Bridges. Per Ian Begley of ESPN, team president Steve Mills, GM Scott Perry, and director of scouting Kristian Petesi were all at his pro day today in New York.