As the Knicks were dropping to 0-4 in the Orlando Summer League the team announced the official signing of first-round pick Frank Ntilikina. But as far as help for him, the Knicks were still on the outside looking in.
In the wake of Phil Jackson's ouster as team president on the eve of free agency the Knicks have been slow to move. The only move the team has made is signing its own free agent, Ron Baker, back for a two-year deal.
They have watched as established mentors to Ntilikina have gone off the board. Part of the issue is their own salary cap situation, hamstrung by the deals that Jackson handed out last summer and the uncertain status of Carmelo Anthony.
The two highest salary slots on the team belong to free agent Derrick Rose ($30.3 million) and Anthony ($26.2 million). If Rose signs elsewhere or the Knicks renounce him, they would have approximately $15 million to work with, but for now he is one of the few players they have been in contact with and one of the few capable starting point guards still on the market.
The Knicks, with Steve Mills in charge now, reached out to representatives of Rajon Rondo this week. Beyond Rose and Rondo the remaining free agent point guards are mostly bench players or players who are past their prime.
The X-factor for the Knicks _ if they actually want to acquire help for the coming season rather than tank their way through the year _ is that some teams now need to try to move pieces. The Celtics, after coming to an agreement with Gordon Hayward, now need to shed some salary and with a surplus at guard have been rumored to be shopping hard-nosed Marcus Smart with reports that Boston has already contacted the Knicks to gauge their interest. The Knicks had reached out to Dion Waiters, but after the Heat failed in their pursuit of Hayward they moved quickly to bring Waiters back with a four-year deal.
It's not just point guard help they need. While the team has been impressed with second-round pick Damyean Dotson, they lost Justin Holiday who bolted for Chicago on a reasonable two-year, $9 million deal, and are still hoping to unload Anthony, so small forward help would be on their radar.
But sticking with the free agent market, here are some names to watch as the Knicks look to fill out their roster.
