There’s a long way to go, but it looks like the Knicks’ offseason moves have put them in contention, with plenty of reason to be excited for the future.
The New York Knicks‘ attempts to bring winning basketball to midtown Manhattan have often felt rushed, spurred by trading homegrown talent for superstars or signing players past their prime. All of this has resulted in only one playoff series win and 1,054 losses since 2000 — the most in the NBA.
However, with steady patience, development, and wise spending, there’s finally some excitement at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks have won a league-high seven straight games with a bout against the Warriors next up on Tuesday and a Christmas Day game against the Sixers on national TV to follow.
Nobody’s calling for a championship parade just yet, but president Leon Rose and GM Scott Perry deserve praise for putting together a fun, winning product. As of today, the Knicks sit at 17-13, which would be good for the No. 6 seed in the East.
Let’s take a look at how they allocated their money during the 2022 offseason.
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2022 Offseason Spending
The Knicks spent $294.6 million this past offseason, which was the seventh-most in the Association. Out of that, 63.7% of their offseason spending was on five free agents. The rest was a $107 million extension.
Key Moves:
- Jalen Brunson, four years, $104 million: The signing finally gave the Knicks a point guard who can control the pace of the game. He’s averaging 20.6 points and 6.8 assists so far.
- RJ Barrett, four years, $107 million extension ($120M if he hits incentives): Barrett, 22, was the Knicks’ third overall pick in 2019 and became the first Knicks first-round pick to secure an extension since Charlie Ward back in 1999.
- Mitchell Robinson, four years, $60 million: Robinson, 24, was selected 36th overall in the 2018 draft and currently ranks No. 5 in blocks per game (2.0) in the league.
Built for the Future
The Knicks have the 11th-youngest roster in the NBA (25.3 years old) with only four players older than 26 as a part of their rotation. The Julius Randle-R.J. Barrett duo are in their fourth season together, and Brunson has slipped in seamlessly. Their young talent continues to impress, namely Quentin Grimes and Miles “Deuce” McBride — a major piece in their defensive improvements these past 10 games.
Draft Picks: The Knicks have seven first-round picks in the next three drafts, including four in 2023 (three with protections). With Barrett, Robinson, Jericho Sims, and Obi Toppin all showing signs of being legitimate players in the league, the front office has proven to be trustworthy in this area.
… And should the Knicks make any sort of run this season, the front office should be trusted in several other areas, too.
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