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2018 NBA Offseason Salary Cap Digest: New York Knicks

May 2nd, 2018 at 3:27pm CST by Luke Adams

While their $72MM investment in Joakim Noah back in 2016 stands out as the Knicks’ worst use of cap room in recent years, the team’s use of its space in 2017 was also questionable — a massive offer sheet for Tim Hardaway Jr. ate up most of New York’s flexibility, and the club’s room exception went to Ron Baker. A year later, the Knicks won’t have as much money to spend, and that should be just fine. With Kristaps Porzingis‘ recovery from a torn ACL expected to sideline him for the start of the 2018/19 season, New York shouldn’t be focused on win-now moves in the coming months.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Knicks financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2018:

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Restricted Free Agents

  • None

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

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 and Baker will pick up their player options 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.
  • There are scenarios in which the Knicks could create room. Kanter opting out and not re-signing would remove $18.6MM+ from the team’s books, and waiving and stretching Noah would trim team salary by another $11MM or so. Still, I think the Knicks are more likely to make an effort to open up cap space in 2019 than in 2018.

Footnotes:

  1. Burke’s salary becomes guaranteed for $100K after July 10 and guaranteed for $400K after the first game of the 2018/19 regular season.
  2. Williams’ exact contract details, including guarantee info, aren’t yet known.
  3. The Knicks are ninth in the draft lottery standings. They could end up picking as high as No. 1 ($8,095,595) and as low as No. 12 ($3,179,248).

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. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Current Regime Takes Different Approach

May 1st, 2018 at 9:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder
  • Knicks president Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry have taken a much more thorough, well-thought-out approach to their coaching search, unlike predecessor Phil Jackson, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. The amount of candidates interviewed has reached double digits and the duo has traveled across the country and over the Atlantic Ocean in order to find the right fit, Berman continues. They don’t pretend to know everything and that’s a stark contrast to Jackson, who stopped listening and learning, according to Berman.
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Knicks Interview Mike Brown, Aim To Hire New Coach Soon

May 1st, 2018 at 10:11am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have completed their interviews for their head coaching vacancy, and will huddle this week to attempt to reach a consensus on Jeff Hornacek‘s replacement, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. According to Woj, the club hopes to have a new head coach hired by the end of the week.

As Wojnarowski details, the Knicks conducted one final interview in addition to the meetings that have already been reported, speaking to Warriors assistant Mike Brown about their head coaching position. That brings New York’s list of reported candidates to 11 names. They are as follows, in alphabetical order:

  1. David Blatt (former Cavaliers head coach)
  2. James Borrego (Spurs assistant)
  3. Mike Brown (Warriors assistant; former Cavaliers head coach)
  4. Mike Budenholzer (former Hawks head coach)
  5. David Fizdale (former Grizzlies head coach)
  6. Juwan Howard (Heat assistant)
  7. Mark Jackson (ESPN analyst; former Warriors head coach)
  8. Jay Larranaga (Celtics assistant)
  9. Kenny Smith (TNT analyst)
  10. Jerry Stackhouse (Raptors 905 head coach)
  11. Mike Woodson (Clippers assistant; former Knicks head coach)

Budenholzer and Blatt have generated the most buzz as potential targets for the Knicks, while Fizdale, Stackhouse, and Jackson were initially considered among the club’s top tier as well.

If the Knicks do name a new head coach this week, they’ll likely become the first team to complete a full-fledged search this offseason. The Grizzlies became the first team to hire a new permanent head coach last week, but they didn’t consider outside options, opting instead to promote J.B. Bickerstaff from the interim role.

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Bucks Could Challenge Knicks For Budenholzer

April 30th, 2018 at 9:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Bucks pose a threat to the Knicks in the pursuit of ex-Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post.

The Knicks are reportedly focused on Budenholzer and ex-Cavs coach David Blatt to replace Jeff Hornacek, who was fired after the season. But if Milwaukee decides not to remove the interim tag from Joe Prunty, several league sources told Berman that the Bucks would join the Budenholzer sweepstakes. The Bucks are already a playoff team and have a young superstar in Giannis Antetokounmpo, adding to their appeal, Berman continues.

Prunty was named interim coach of the Bucks in late January when they fired Jason Kidd. The Bucks responded by making the playoffs and testing the Celtics to the limit in the opening round of the playoffs. Milwaukee hasn’t made any announcement regarding Prunty’s status.

The Bucks’ president is former Knicks executive Peter Feigin.

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Knicks Rumors: Howard, Blatt, Leonard, Mudiay

April 29th, 2018 at 2:13pm CST by Arthur Hill

Juwan Howard, the latest name to emerge in the Knicks’ coaching search, has a powerful connection in the team’s front office, notes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. GM Scott Perry is a former assistant at the University of Michigan, and his first year with the Wolverines was Howard’s last season there.

Howard will be the 10th candidate to talk to Perry and team president Steve Mills, who were in Europe this week to interview former Cavaliers coach David Blatt and to scout Luka Doncic, along with other prospects. Despite the long list of interviewees, Bondy hears that the Knicks’ next coach may be someone not yet mentioned by the media.

There’s more news from New York:

  • Howard has a long list of former teammates with coaching experience who could potentially fill out his staff if he gets the Knicks job, notes Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype. The list includes Adrian Griffin, Nick Van Exel, David Vanterpool, James Posey, Darvin Ham, Jamaal Magloire, God Shammgod, Rafer Alston and John Lucas III.
  • If the Spurs make Kawhi Leonard available in trade the summer, the Knicks should go all in, even if it costs them Kristaps Porzingis and this year’s first-rounder, contends Tommy Beer of Forbes. Leonard’s scoring ability, defensive prowess and record of big-game performances make him a player that a franchise can be built around, Beer argues. He adds that the Knicks are hoping to construct a contender by surrounding Porzingis with top-level free agents, but their recent record in free agency casts doubt on that plan. He cautions that New York should make the deal with the Spurs only if team doctors determine that Leonard’s quad injury won’t be a long-term issue and he agrees to a four-year extension.
  • One-time Knicks coach Larry Brown remains optimistic about Emmanuel Mudiay‘s prospects in New York, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. Brown tried to recruit Mudiay to SMU before he opted for China, and he believes the 22-year-old can excel by getting into top physical condition. “I don’t think Emmanuel has ever been in the greatest shape of his life,” Brown said. “That position you have to be an elite athlete and in unbelievable shape. I don’t know until he got to the NBA if he has ever been coached the way he needed to be coached.” Mudiay was placed in the league’s concussion protocol after hitting his head late in the season and was just cleared for basketball activities last week.
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Knicks To Interview Juwan Howard

April 28th, 2018 at 2:15pm CST by Arthur Hill

Heat assistant coach Juwan Howard has emerged as a candidate for the Knicks’ head coaching job, tweets ESPN’s Zach Lowe. New York may interview Howard as early as this weekend.

Howard, 45, played 19 NBA seasons before retiring in 2013. He accepted a spot on Miami’s coaching staff and has remained there for five seasons.

He is part of a growing field of candidates hoping to take over for Jeff Hornacek, who was fired at the end of the season. Also interviewing for the position were Jerry Stackhouse, Mark Jackson, Mike Woodson, Kenny Smith, David Fizdale, Mike Budenholzer, David Blatt, James Borrego and Jay Larranaga. A report last night indicated the Knicks have particular interest in Budenholzer and Blatt.

Keep up to date with all the latest coaching developments with our 2018 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker.

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David Blatt's Winning Would Be Big To Knicks

April 28th, 2018 at 9:21am CST by marksuleymanov

The Knicks continue their search for a new head coach and a pool of nine candidates is slowly starting to shrink. With one interview left this weekend – for Spurs’ assistant coach James Borrego – there is a sense that David Blatt is the best fit in New York, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes.

Blatt has not coached in the NBA since January 2016 when he was fired by the Cavaliers despite a 30-11 record. He has since returned to Europe and continued to coach successfully, and his ability to relate to international talent could benefit the Knicks.

“KP [Kristaps Porzingis] and Frank Nitti [Ntilikina] need him as he is the most qualified to finally make international players that arrive in New York comfortable and productive,” former Knicks European scout Tim Shea said to Berman. “He’d be a godsend.”

As we relayed yesterday, there is a belief that the Knicks are focused on Blatt and Mike Budenholzer, who recently parted ways with the Hawks. Both men bring impressive résumés, but one NBA source close to Blatt tells Berman that his ability to win would be invaluable to a Knicks team coming off another 50-loss season.

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Knicks Focused On Budenholzer, Blatt

April 27th, 2018 at 10:10pm CST by Arthur Hill

Among all their coaching candidates, the Knicks are showing particular interest in former Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer and former Cavaliers coach David Blatt, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times.

Both men interviewed for the job in the past five days, and Knicks management “ramped up” its background work on Budenholzer and Blatt this week, according to Stein.

Budenholzer officially ended his relationship with Atlanta this week after requesting permission to interview for openings in Phoenix and New York. He has withdrawn from consideration for the Suns’ post, but is said to be particularly interested in joining the Knicks. Budenholzer led the Hawks to four straight playoff appearances before this season, but didn’t want to remain with a rebuilding franchise.

Blatt has been coaching in Turkey since being fired by Cleveland midway through the 2015/16 season. He took the Cavaliers to the finals in his only full NBA season, but was dismissed amid rumors that LeBron James preferred to have a former player as his coach.

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Heat Rumors: Whiteside, Waiters, Haslem, Wade

April 27th, 2018 at 10:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The gamble the Heat took on Hassan Whiteside two years ago has backfired, writes Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post, and they are left with the choices of keeping him and his huge cap hit or trading him for virtually nothing. Whiteside still has two seasons remaining [including a $27.1MM player option for 2019/20] on the four-year deal he signed in the summer of 2016.

The Heat are open to dealing their starting center, but Bontemps warns they may not like the offers they get. He suggests the Mavericks might be interested if they can’t land a big-name free agent, with Dwight Powell going to Miami in return. Other possibilities Bontemps sees for Whiteside are heading to New York in exchange for Joakim Noah [owed roughly $37MM over the next two years] and the Bulls’ second-rounder or to Phoenix for Brandon Knight [$29MM over two years] and Tyson Chandler‘s expiring $13.6MM deal.

There’s more today out of Miami:

  • The Heat are counting on Dion Waiters to solidify the shooting guard position once he returns from ankle surgery, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Waiters was limited to just 30 games before the January operation, and doctors aren’t sure if he will be ready for training camp or the start of the season. “I don’t think he’s felt right, physically, since when he first got here,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He got in great shape, but once he injured his ankle, then he was always dealing with that. This is going to be a really important summer for him. He’s going to be here and he’ll be working a ton behind the scenes just to get his legs right, then he’ll work on the next step of getting in world-class shape and then he’ll get into the next phase of really developing his basketball skills.”
  • Veteran forward Udonis Haslem isn’t sure whether Dwyane Wade will return for another season, adding he “wouldn’t be surprised” no matter what Wade decides, Jackson relays in the same story. Haslem hasn’t made a decision on his own future, but said he would like to work in the Heat organization when he retires, although not as a coach. He added that he and Wade haven’t discussed a mutual decision. “We’ve both in situations where we have a lot of different opportunities ahead of us,” Haslem said. “Do we want to retire together? In a perfect world it would be great to finish it together. But things don’t always work out like that.”
  • After playing just 16 postseason minutes, Rodney McGruder wants a larger role next year, Jackson adds. McGruder had surgery on his leg in October and appeared in 16 regular season games after he returned in February. “I want to play,” he said. “I am happy for my teammates. I love cheering them on. I want to be playing in the playoffs.”
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Five Player Options That Look Like Locks To Be Exercised

April 27th, 2018 at 1:18pm CST by Luke Adams

As we recently detailed when we previewed this summer’s player option decisions, those options have been overwhelmingly declined over the last two offseasons.

Over the last two years, only eight of 53 veterans who held player options on their contracts have actually exercised those options. Half of those eight players (Tim Duncan, Caron Butler, Mo Williams, and Spencer Hawes) haven’t played a single NBA minute since picking up their options, having either retired or been waived. Another one of the eight (Chris Paul) only opted in because it cleared the way for him to be traded to his preferred destination.

However, those opt-outs came at a time when NBA free agent spending was at an all-time high, primarily due to the substantial salary-cap jump in the 2016 offseason. For most players with an opportunity to reach the open market, it made sense to test free agency rather than playing out a contract that had been negotiated when the cap was far lower.

That may not be the case this summer though. The increases in the salary cap have become more modest, with the cap for 2018/19 projected to only be about $2MM higher than this year’s figure. With fewer teams armed with cap room and less money available in free agency, many of the player options for 2018/19 don’t look too bad.

I expect more than five player options to be exercised this offseason, but here are five that look like virtual locks to be picked up:

  1. Carmelo Anthony, Thunder ($27,928,140): Our list starts with a player option that’s technically not a player option. Anthony actually has an early termination option, which essentially gives him the same rights as a player option would — he’ll simply have to waive his ETO in order to opt in and finish out his current contract. Given Anthony’s underwhelming season in Oklahoma City, which saw him set new career lows in PPG (16.2) and FG% (.404), opting in looks like an easy call. If the Thunder lose in the first round and Paul George departs in free agency, it will be interesting to see how enthusiastic Anthony is about remaining in OKC. This situation reminds me a little of Dwyane Wade‘s in Chicago a year ago, when Wade exercised his $23MM player option, then surrendered a big chunk of it as part of a buyout agreement.
  2. Wesley Matthews, Mavericks ($18,622,514): Matthews has already indicated he plans to opt in, so it’s probably cheating a little to include him here. Still, his case is an interesting one. Matthews is still capable of being a useful wing who can make three-point shots — that could make him more valuable to a contender than to the rebuilding team, and an $18MM+ expiring salary would also look appealing to a club looking to clear cap room for 2019. If and when Matthews officially picks up the option, it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Mavs explore the trade market for him, likely expressing a willingness to take on longer-term money.
  3. Iman Shumpert, Kings ($11,011,234): Shumpert’s player option decision figures to hinge on money rather than destination. After an injury-plagued season in which he played in just 14 games, the veteran swingman won’t come close to matching his $11MM option salary, so it’s the right move to opt in and then see what happens. The rebuilding Kings, who held onto vets like Zach Randolph and Vince Carter for the entire 2017/18 season, could try the same approach with Shumpert next year, but I’d expect him to become a buyout candidate sooner or later — assuming he’s not traded first.
  4. Darrell Arthur, Nuggets ($7,464,912): In Denver, Wilson Chandler‘s player option decision will be a tougher one than Arthur’s, which looks like a mere formality. Ongoing knee issues – as well as a deep Nuggets roster – resulted in Arthur appearing in just 19 games and playing 141 total minutes in 2017/18. If he were to opt out, he’d almost certainly be looking at a minimum-salary offer, so picking up his option makes sense.
  5. Ron Baker, Knicks ($4,544,400): It’s hard to call a contract worth less than $10MM in total a disastrous signing, but the Knicks’ decision to commit their entire room exception to Baker last offseason on a two-year deal was immediately panned, and it doesn’t look any better now. Like other players on this list, Baker didn’t play a whole lot in 2017/18 due to injuries – and to not having a permanent spot in the rotation – which would limit his value significantly if he were to hit free agency. He’s recovering from shoulder surgery now, making his option decision an easy one.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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