Knicks' potential free-agency plan could spark surprise trade
Keep your eyes on this.
By
Dan Favale
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It turns out that bringing back Landry Shamet may not be enough for the New York Knicks. They could want to sign another veteran on top of him. And the only way for them to do that is with yet another late-offseason trade.

With 12 players currently under contract, most assume the Knicks will add a veteran on the minimum, then ink a rookie-minimum deal, and call it a summer. Shamet is now widely expected to return after some standout moments during the playoffs. This, in turn, suggests New York’s final signing will be the No. 51 pick from June’s draft, Mohamed Diaward.

Yet, while speaking on an episode of The Putback podcast, SNY’s Ian Begley said the Knicks may actually have other plans. “I would not rule out the idea that the Knicks want to bring in another veteran in addition to a Shamet,” he explained. “And the only way to do that is to make a trade. You can’t do it any other way.” He then goes on to mention that this could be part of a play to land Ben Simmons, who New York remains interested in signing.

The Knicks can’t afford to sign two veteran minimum deals
For now, the Knicks’ primary veteran target after Shamet doesn’t matter so much as the process of making it happen. And Begley is correct: It will require a trade.
Signing a pair of players with two or more years of NBA experience would cost a total of $4.6 million—$2.3 million apiece. The Knicks, as things stand, have about $3.7 million in room beneath the second apron, which they cannot venture into after using most of the mini mid-level exception on Guerschon Yabusele.
So, going after both Shamet and Simmons doesn’t fly with the current roster. New York runs into the same problem even if it wants to guarantee a roster spot. It needs to trim money from the payroll.

This trade could do a number of different ways

The Knicks can do a few different things to create the money necessary to open up a second veteran’s minimum slot.
Offloading Pacome Dadiet is perhaps the cleanest, albeit far from the least painful, path to travel down. His $2.8 million salary is worth more than a veteran’s minimum deal, and New York shouldn’t have an issue finding someone to take him outright.
Similar logic applies to Tyler Kolek, except moving him alone doesn’t get the job done. He is earning just under $2.2 million—a hair less than the $2.3 million that the Knicks would need.

New York could also look at breaking up a slightly more expensive player into a cheaper acquisition, or two. Deuce McBride ($4.3 million), Mitchell Robinson ($13 million), and Josh Hart ($19.5 million) all loom as options here, to various levels of extremity.
Regardless of how the Knicks game it, if the plan is to bring back Shamet and sign another veteran, their offseason remains far from over. And a trade is possible.

https://dailyknicks.com/knicks-potential-free-agency-plan-could-spark-surprise-trade-01k2m9dev2xn

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