Patience Key for Knicks Next Move

The New York Knicks might need to upgrade the roster, but it won't be easy to get it done.

Jeremy Brener | Sep 9, 2024

Jan 30, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) talks to referee Brent Barnaky (36) during the first quarter against the Utah Jazz at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

In this story:

New York Knicks

The New York Knicks hope that the roster they have constructed this offseason will be enough to overtake the Boston Celtics and emerge atop the Eastern Conference.

However, they have a lot of ground to make up, and the addition of Mikal Bridges may not be enough for the Knicks to accomplish all of their goals.

They won't be able to access the trade market with their limited resources, but The Athletic insider Fred Katz believes the buyout market will be of interest to the Knicks when the trade deadline comes in February.

"The trade market isn’t the only place the Knicks could find a worthwhile backup. If they wait long enough, they could scour the market for buyout candidates in February or March. They are yet to use the taxpayer midlevel exception. If they hold onto that, they could pay any free agent up to $5 million to join them," Katz writes.

Given the fact that the Knicks shipped off most of their future draft picks to the Brooklyn Nets in the Mikal Bridges trade, New York doesn't have a whole lot to offer teams if it needs to make a deal.

The buyout market works mostly for veterans on non-contending rosters. A lot of players get traded at the deadline to teams for salary cap purposes and then get bought out because they end up on a non-contending roster.

For instance, Kyle Lowry was traded by the Miami Heat to the Charlotte Hornets for Terry Rozier back in February. The Hornets, who didn't need a veteran point guard, bought Lowry out. That made Lowry a free agent, which cleared the path for him to join the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Knicks would need to open up a roster spot in order to bring on a player in the buyout market in March, but it's an easy way to upgrade the back half of the roster without having to give away much in return.

Make sure you bookmark New York Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

Published Sep 9, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.