A couple of free agency notes on the Knicks:
As of late Monday night, New York continued to search for opportunities to shed cap space.
People in touch with the Knicks earlier this week said members of the organization were optimistic about their chances of landing Jalen Brunson, as SNY reported.
Other teams with degrees of interest in Brunson also believe New York to currently be the favorite to sign Brunson.
The Knicks would have to clear more cap space to make a competitive offer for the Dallas Mavericks point guard.
Currently, the Knicks have roughly $12 million in cap space. If the club waives veteran big man Taj Gibson, the number creeps up to roughly $17 million. (If the Knicks do waive Gibson, I’d expect them to give strong consideration to re-signing him later in the offseason).
The Knicks can get to roughly $25 million if they trade Alec Burks or Nerlens Noel and don’t take back any salary.
Several teams, including the Boston Celtics, have a degree of interest in trading for Burks, per sources.
Several teams, including the Nets and Toronto Raptors, have levels of interest in trading for Noel, per SNY sources.
The Los Angeles Clippers also have some interest in Noel, a source said, confirming a RealGM report.
The Nets’ interest in Noel would presumably be dependent on what happens with Nic Claxton. Teams monitoring Claxton’s market expect that he will remain in Brooklyn.
If the Knicks trade Noel and Burks into cap space or trade exceptions, it would open up roughly $16 million in cap space.
This is noteworthy because teams monitoring New York’s approach in the offseason expect that they will be active in trades/free agency even if they sign Brunson. Per people in touch with members of the organization, the Knicks view Brunson, 26, as a good fit for the timeline of the club’s other younger players and someone who could help propel the team forward.
If he signs in New York, Brunson will be getting significant money. But members of the team, per people in touch with them, don’t view Brunson as a potential franchise-altering savior. Those members of the organization have said that they see Brunson as an important potential addition to their process, but they aren’t of the belief that he would singularly turn the franchise around.
As far as adding another player, New York would have the draft capital to put together a package for San Antonio’s Spurs' Dejounte Murray. According to Bleacher Report, the Atlanta Hawks and Spurs have had talks surrounding Murray. I don’t know if the Knicks have touched base with San Antonio, but rival executives see Murray and Brunson as a strong fit, for what it’s worth.
Also, the Knicks are considering converting Jericho Sims’ two-way contract to a standard deal, per SNY sources. In this scenario, the club is considering signing second-round pick Trevor Keels to a two-way contract, sources said. Both of those transactions are seen as likely as of Tuesday afternoon.