Advertisement

Summer rewind: New York Knicks

The Knicks need Derrick Rose to remain healthy. (AP)
The Knicks need Derrick Rose to remain healthy. (AP)

A look at the key offseason moves and changes for every team in the league. Next up are the New York Knicks.

OFF-SEASON ADDITIONS
Free agents
Joakim Noah
Courtney Lee
Lance Thomas
Brandon Jennings
Mindaugas Kuzminskas
Sasha Vujacic
Marshall Plumlee
Maurice Ndour
J.P. Tokoto
Ron Baker
Chasson Randle

Draft
Willy Hernangomez

Trade
Derrick Rose
Justin Holiday

THE REWIND
Low risk for former MVP
The trade to acquire oft-injured Derrick Rose signaled the start of a busy offseason for New York.

The Knicks, in desperate need of a starting point guard, got a player who has missed significant time each season since tearing his ACL during the first round of the playoffs in 2012.

However, Rose, in the last year of his contract, is coming off a season in which he played the most games (66) since injuring his knee.

Shaking up the roster
With Robin Lopez sent to Chicago in the Rose trade, New York opened free agency in need of a center.

New York found one pretty quickly in Rose’s former teammate, Joakim Noah.

The 31-year-old Noah, coming off a season in which he missed 52 games due to left shoulder surgery, comes at a starting price tag of $17 million per season and is signed for four years.

Noah, Rose and backup point guard Brandon Jennings provide the Knicks with three high-level but injury-prone additions.

One player who has not been bitten by the injury bug is starting shooting guard Courtney Lee.

Lee, signed to a $48 million contract, has missed only 15 games since the 2011-12 season.

No safety net with the bench
The problem with a starting lineup that costs an average of $15.2 million per player is the lack of depth on the bench.

New York has not been able to build its bench because of a lack of draft assets.

Outside of Jennings and journeyman Lance Thomas, New York has major question marks at each backup spot.

Although the additions of 2015 second-round pick Willy Hernangomez and Mindaugas Kuzminskas could eventually provide relief, they have yet to step on the court against NBA competition.

The Knicks gave Joakim Noah a four-year, $72 million deal. (Getty)
The Knicks gave Joakim Noah a four-year, $72 million deal. (Getty)

CAP BREAKDOWN
Player 2016
1. Carmelo Anthony $24,559,380
2. Derrick Rose $21,323,252
3. Joakim Noah $17,000,000
4. Courtney Lee $11,242,000
5. Lance Thomas $6,191,000
6. Brandon Jennings $5,000,000
7. Kristaps Porzingis $4,317,720
8. Kyle O’Quinn $3,918,750
9. Mindaugas Kuzminskas $2,898,000
10. Willy Hernangomez $1,375,000
11. Justin Holiday $1,015,696
12. Sasha Vujacic $980,431
13. Marshall Plumlee $543,471
14. Maurice Ndour $543,471

Non-guaranteed/partial 2016
15. J.P. Tokoto $543,471
16. Chasson Randle $543,471
17. Ron Baker $543,471

Salary table 2016
Guaranteed salaries $101,183,171
Dead money $0
Non-guaranteed $1,355,413
Tax variance $2,184,720
Free-agent cap holds $0
Incomplete roster charge $0
Salaries: cap $102,538,584
Salaries: tax $104,723,304
Salary cap $94,143,000
Luxury tax $113,287,000
Cap space None ($8,395,584 over)
Tax room $8,563,696

The Knicks’ balancing of the cap this summer was critical in how their free agents and draft picks were signed.

New York began free agency with $12 million in cap space and $27 million in additional free-agent holds.

Noah and Lee were signed with room created once the Arron Afflalo, Kevin Seraphin, Lou Amundson, Sasha Vujacic and Cleanthony Early cap holds were released.

Jennings, Marshall Plumlee and Hernangomez were signed when the Derrick Williams hold was released and the Knicks withdrew the qualifying offer on Langston Galloway.

Early Bird rights allowed New York to sign Thomas to a starting salary of $6.1 million and exceed the cap.

Once cap space was used, New York signed Kuzminskas to the $2.8 million room mid-level.

RESTRICTIONS
Free agents signed in the offseason cannot be traded until either Dec. 15, Jan. 15 or for three months if they signed after Sept. 15.

Noah, Lee, Jennings, Kuzminskas, Vujacic, Plumlee, Maurice Ndour, J.P. Tokoto, Chasson Randle and Ron Baker cannot be traded until Dec. 15.

Vujacic also falls under the one-year Bird restriction and cannot be traded without his approval. If Vujacic approves of a trade, early Bird rights will not carry to his new team.

Thomas cannot be traded until Jan. 15.

Thomas was signed using early Bird rights and his current $6.1 million salary exceeds his previous contract by 20 percent.

Rose and Holiday, acquired in the same trade with the Bulls, can be traded to a team with room but their salaries cannot be combined with a current player in a trade until Aug. 22.

Carmelo Anthony is one the few players with a no-trade clause. Anthony cannot be traded without his consent.

Anthony also has a 15 percent trade bonus. The current value of Anthony’s trade bonus is $11.8 million.

The Knicks would be responsible for the bonus, but the acquiring team would have the $11.8 million cap hit spread out over two years.

EXTENSION CANDIDATES
Rookie
None

Veteran
Rose, entering the final season of a five-year, $94 million rookie-scale extension signed with Chicago, can have his contract extended. The Knicks are over the cap and can only increase Rose’s current $21.3 million salary by 4.5 percent in the first year of the extension.

Because Rose is still within six months from being acquired in a trade, New York can only add two seasons to his current contract.

DEPTH CHART
Starter Bench Bench
PG Derrick Rose Brandon Jennings Chasson Randle
SG Courtney Lee Justin Holiday Sasha Vujacic/Ron Baker
SF Carmelo Anthony Mindaugas Kuzminskas Maurice Ndour/J.P. Tokoto
PF Kristaps Porzingis Lance Thomas Kyle O’Quinn
C Joakim Noah Willy Hernangomez Marshall Plumlee

New York currently has 14 guaranteed contracts and one open roster spot.

Randle ($100,000), Baker ($75,000) and Tokoto ($100,000) received a partial guarantee.

SNEAK PEEK TO NEXT SUMMER
Rose will determine the Knicks’ cap situation next summer.

New York, currently over the cap with Rose’s $28 million cap hold, would need to renounce his hold for the Knicks to have cap space.

The Knicks could have $24 million in room if the holds of Rose and Jennings were released.

KEEP AN EYE ON
The backup wings
Plenty of question marks remain at the wing position for New York’s bench.

Holiday has failed to shoot above 40 percent in each of his first three seasons in the league.

Sasha Vujacic, 32, also is coming off a year in which he failed to shoot 40 percent from the field.

With Holiday and Vujacic as the primary backup wings off the bench, New York could be looking for an upgrade if either fail to produce.

Previous teams in the series: Hawks | Nets | Clippers | Timberwolves | Jazz | Hornets | Kings | Pacers | Magic | Suns

More NBA coverage: