Free Agent Power Rankings: Point Guards
Posted: Thu May 12, 2016 8:53 pm
I've done this the past few off-seasons and it's brought about some good conversation about who we want to acquire and which guys are available.
This year the Knicks are going to have anywhere between 20-34 million in cap space to improve our team. We have a solid foundation in the front court with Melo, KP, Lopez, and O'Quinn all locked into solid deals for the next few years. Derrick Williams is likely to opt-out, which should free up some capspace, but we lose an explosive player that I think is a solid end of the rotation player that we will need to replace. I think our biggest holes to fill are 1. Backcourt and 2. Depth.
With a rotation of Jose Calderon, Langston Galloway, and Jerian Grant, we probably had the worst (when healthy) point guard rotation in the entire league. Jerian Grant definitely showed some flashes, and I am encouraged with him going forward. He has great size, and tools to be a starting caliber point guard. Perennial All-Star? Probably not, but a middle of the pack starting PG is realistic, in my opinion. I was really encouraged by his improvements on his outside shot and his defense from the start to the end of the season. Overall, I dont think having a true point guard is an absolute top priority for the triangle offense. Having a guy that is unselfish, and can defend, shoot, and limit turnovers is the basic requirement. Having a guy that can get into the paint and make plays for others would be great, but I think the point guard is more a complementary piece in the triangle.
Here's my list of the top free agent point guards available in the 2016 NBA Offseason and estimated salary info I think it would take (purely speculative, and pulled out of my ass, ESPN would call this "sources"... feel free to disagree):
1. Mike Conley - UFA - 28yo - 20-25 million (max) dollars per year - For years he's been considered the most underrated player in the league. He isn't a superstar, but he is tough as nails, and meets the requirements of our point guard that I listed. His price tag is what worries me though. While 28 isn't old, he just had a season ending achilles injury, it wasn't a tear, but it's still concerning. If we signed him, there wouldn't be much more space to bring in any other big impact players, but adding him to KP, Melo, and RoLo would put us in a great position for next year, while allowing us to compete for the playoffs.
2. Rajon Rondo - UFA - 30yo - 10-15 million per year - There has been public reports of at least minor interest between the two parties. It seems like he's a guy that Melo will be (or already has?) been recruiting. He definitely has talent and he is also tough as nails, but he is past his prime already, and has some major flaws. I'm not sure his skill-set and ball dominance is a great fit for our offense but he will get Melo, KP, and RoLo easy looks. The Kings took a gamble on him last year, and I think he upped his value, but I doubt any team will really want to give him any long term deal. It could be a good move to allow us to compete right now and let Grant and KP develop on a winning team while not committing long-term money. Would he leave Cousins and the Kings?
3. Jordan Clarkson - RFA - 23yo - 6 million per year (poison pill) - He's intriguing, he's a great scorer from all over the floor and as a 2nd round pick, he now has a max contract starting at around 6 million but then backloaded similar to the way Lin had his structured. He would be a great piece to add, but the only way the Lakers dont match his contract would be if one of the top FA's hinted that they should keep space open for them.
4. Mathew Dellavedova - RFA - 25 - 9-13 million per year - I love his style of play. He's just hardworking, pesky, and relentless. Other players hate playing against him. I want that to be a trait of our players. He's a threat from 3 and he is unselfish. I'm not incredibly into him as our number 1 ball handler, and his price tag will probably be a bit higher than we might want to go but it would also pull an impact player off of Cleveland. He'd be a great fit as a triangle point guard, but he's definitely a borderline starting point guard in the NBA and the price would hurt a little!
5. Jeremy Lin - PO - 27yo - 8-12 million per year - He's likely to opt out of his deal this summer. Bring Lin back where it all started? Fans would love it and he's expressed interest in a return. He's not the best fit, but he's still kind of young, and he's a smart player that can get to the hole and get defenses out of position. I would welcome him back for sure if we could get him on a shorter deal.
6. Ish Smith - UFA - 27yo - 8-12 million per year - A career journeyman that really found his niche last year with the Sixers, and proved that the year before was not a total fluke. He's got a great handle, he gets into the paint, and he knows how to get his teammates the ball in the right spots, but he can't shoot and his defense isn't that great either. He also did this all on one of the worst teams in NBA history, so I think he will still have some doubters still.
7. Jerryd Bayless - UFA - 27yo - 5-9 million per year - I think he is a great fit in the triangle personally. He can handle the ball, he's a great shooter, very unselfish, and he is a good locker room presence. He can be a starter or a bench player for us but he would definitely be a rotation player and could be looked at as a stop gap.
8. Deron Williams - UFA - 31 - 8-12 million per year - He played pretty well and stayed healthy for most of the year. His minutes have to be managed and he did run out of gas late. He's not getting any younger, and he had a pretty unsucessful run in New York with the Nets. I don't think either party is interested in a return but I would put him here if there was.
9. Ty Lawson - UFA - 28yo - 2-4 million per year - He's really fallen off, and I would be worried about him in New York, but it is fairly low risk as I'm sure he would want a shorter deal to prove himself. We would be able to offer him minutes, which might be appealing. We had a chance to sign him and try him out mid-season and we either didn't reach out, or he chose a team with playoff hopes that would give him some minutes. Either way I wouldn't mind looking into him this offseason.
10. Grevis Vazquez - UFA - 29 - 3-7 million - He's a big point guard with some unique skills. Pretty smart and unselfish player, not great at anything and not very impactful defensively and has some injury issues. I could see him also signing a 1 year with a PO for year 2 deal to try to up his value for next year on a team that will give him some minutes. That's pretty much the only reason I would be interested in him.
11. Norris Cole - UFA - 27 - 4-8 million - He's a backup point guard, spot starter. I don't think he is much better than what we have (if better at all), and he would take minutes away from Grant but still, we need depth, and talent, and he is a capable rotation player with a winning pedigree.
12. Brandon Jennings - UFA - 26 - 3-7 million - I'm not a big fan, I don't think Phil is either. He's coming off a very serious injury that not many players have come back from. Still, he was looking like he was finally getting "it" before the injury, under SVG, but he is still a very inefficient scorer and doesn't really fit what we are trying to do. My interest in him is mainly because I think he would be willing to take a small short deal to play for a team that will give him a chance to up his value. We need talent if we want to compete, and he has a different skill-set than the rest of our guards. I'd take a flyer if he comes cheap and on a short deal. Not really interested otherwise.
Others: Langston Galloway (who I think we bring back), DJ Augustin, Isaiah Canaan, Marcelo Huertas, Tim Frazier, Aaron Brooks
*I edited the list to add some guys that I forgot to mention.
Overall, this is really not an impressive free agent class for point guards. Conley is a gamble of a deal that could hurt in the long-run. Rondo is a gamble in terms of fit and chemistry. Clarkson is unlikely. The rest would be below average starting point guards or not better than what we already have. We could go the trade route with Jeff Teague (or Schroeder) or Darren Collison (the only potential trade targets that really push the needle that seem somewhat available), or keep Calderon around and continue to develop Grant and Galloway while trying to get a swingman that can alleviate some of the ball handling and playmaking responsibilities.
The 2017 free agent class is going to be very Point Guard heavy. Westbrook, Teague, Holiday, Rose, Hill, Jack, Collison will all be UFA's and Oladipo, MCW, and Schroeder will be RFA's. There's definitely some logic in trying to strengthen other positions this summer and seeing what we have with Grant while Calderon plays out the rest of his deal.
What do you guys think of this list? Who intrigues you? What would you like Phil and Mills to do this Summer with our Point Guard rotation? What do you see Phil and Mills actually doing with our Point Guard rotation?
Discuss.
This year the Knicks are going to have anywhere between 20-34 million in cap space to improve our team. We have a solid foundation in the front court with Melo, KP, Lopez, and O'Quinn all locked into solid deals for the next few years. Derrick Williams is likely to opt-out, which should free up some capspace, but we lose an explosive player that I think is a solid end of the rotation player that we will need to replace. I think our biggest holes to fill are 1. Backcourt and 2. Depth.
With a rotation of Jose Calderon, Langston Galloway, and Jerian Grant, we probably had the worst (when healthy) point guard rotation in the entire league. Jerian Grant definitely showed some flashes, and I am encouraged with him going forward. He has great size, and tools to be a starting caliber point guard. Perennial All-Star? Probably not, but a middle of the pack starting PG is realistic, in my opinion. I was really encouraged by his improvements on his outside shot and his defense from the start to the end of the season. Overall, I dont think having a true point guard is an absolute top priority for the triangle offense. Having a guy that is unselfish, and can defend, shoot, and limit turnovers is the basic requirement. Having a guy that can get into the paint and make plays for others would be great, but I think the point guard is more a complementary piece in the triangle.
Here's my list of the top free agent point guards available in the 2016 NBA Offseason and estimated salary info I think it would take (purely speculative, and pulled out of my ass, ESPN would call this "sources"... feel free to disagree):
1. Mike Conley - UFA - 28yo - 20-25 million (max) dollars per year - For years he's been considered the most underrated player in the league. He isn't a superstar, but he is tough as nails, and meets the requirements of our point guard that I listed. His price tag is what worries me though. While 28 isn't old, he just had a season ending achilles injury, it wasn't a tear, but it's still concerning. If we signed him, there wouldn't be much more space to bring in any other big impact players, but adding him to KP, Melo, and RoLo would put us in a great position for next year, while allowing us to compete for the playoffs.
2. Rajon Rondo - UFA - 30yo - 10-15 million per year - There has been public reports of at least minor interest between the two parties. It seems like he's a guy that Melo will be (or already has?) been recruiting. He definitely has talent and he is also tough as nails, but he is past his prime already, and has some major flaws. I'm not sure his skill-set and ball dominance is a great fit for our offense but he will get Melo, KP, and RoLo easy looks. The Kings took a gamble on him last year, and I think he upped his value, but I doubt any team will really want to give him any long term deal. It could be a good move to allow us to compete right now and let Grant and KP develop on a winning team while not committing long-term money. Would he leave Cousins and the Kings?
3. Jordan Clarkson - RFA - 23yo - 6 million per year (poison pill) - He's intriguing, he's a great scorer from all over the floor and as a 2nd round pick, he now has a max contract starting at around 6 million but then backloaded similar to the way Lin had his structured. He would be a great piece to add, but the only way the Lakers dont match his contract would be if one of the top FA's hinted that they should keep space open for them.
4. Mathew Dellavedova - RFA - 25 - 9-13 million per year - I love his style of play. He's just hardworking, pesky, and relentless. Other players hate playing against him. I want that to be a trait of our players. He's a threat from 3 and he is unselfish. I'm not incredibly into him as our number 1 ball handler, and his price tag will probably be a bit higher than we might want to go but it would also pull an impact player off of Cleveland. He'd be a great fit as a triangle point guard, but he's definitely a borderline starting point guard in the NBA and the price would hurt a little!
5. Jeremy Lin - PO - 27yo - 8-12 million per year - He's likely to opt out of his deal this summer. Bring Lin back where it all started? Fans would love it and he's expressed interest in a return. He's not the best fit, but he's still kind of young, and he's a smart player that can get to the hole and get defenses out of position. I would welcome him back for sure if we could get him on a shorter deal.
6. Ish Smith - UFA - 27yo - 8-12 million per year - A career journeyman that really found his niche last year with the Sixers, and proved that the year before was not a total fluke. He's got a great handle, he gets into the paint, and he knows how to get his teammates the ball in the right spots, but he can't shoot and his defense isn't that great either. He also did this all on one of the worst teams in NBA history, so I think he will still have some doubters still.
7. Jerryd Bayless - UFA - 27yo - 5-9 million per year - I think he is a great fit in the triangle personally. He can handle the ball, he's a great shooter, very unselfish, and he is a good locker room presence. He can be a starter or a bench player for us but he would definitely be a rotation player and could be looked at as a stop gap.
8. Deron Williams - UFA - 31 - 8-12 million per year - He played pretty well and stayed healthy for most of the year. His minutes have to be managed and he did run out of gas late. He's not getting any younger, and he had a pretty unsucessful run in New York with the Nets. I don't think either party is interested in a return but I would put him here if there was.
9. Ty Lawson - UFA - 28yo - 2-4 million per year - He's really fallen off, and I would be worried about him in New York, but it is fairly low risk as I'm sure he would want a shorter deal to prove himself. We would be able to offer him minutes, which might be appealing. We had a chance to sign him and try him out mid-season and we either didn't reach out, or he chose a team with playoff hopes that would give him some minutes. Either way I wouldn't mind looking into him this offseason.
10. Grevis Vazquez - UFA - 29 - 3-7 million - He's a big point guard with some unique skills. Pretty smart and unselfish player, not great at anything and not very impactful defensively and has some injury issues. I could see him also signing a 1 year with a PO for year 2 deal to try to up his value for next year on a team that will give him some minutes. That's pretty much the only reason I would be interested in him.
11. Norris Cole - UFA - 27 - 4-8 million - He's a backup point guard, spot starter. I don't think he is much better than what we have (if better at all), and he would take minutes away from Grant but still, we need depth, and talent, and he is a capable rotation player with a winning pedigree.
12. Brandon Jennings - UFA - 26 - 3-7 million - I'm not a big fan, I don't think Phil is either. He's coming off a very serious injury that not many players have come back from. Still, he was looking like he was finally getting "it" before the injury, under SVG, but he is still a very inefficient scorer and doesn't really fit what we are trying to do. My interest in him is mainly because I think he would be willing to take a small short deal to play for a team that will give him a chance to up his value. We need talent if we want to compete, and he has a different skill-set than the rest of our guards. I'd take a flyer if he comes cheap and on a short deal. Not really interested otherwise.
Others: Langston Galloway (who I think we bring back), DJ Augustin, Isaiah Canaan, Marcelo Huertas, Tim Frazier, Aaron Brooks
*I edited the list to add some guys that I forgot to mention.
Overall, this is really not an impressive free agent class for point guards. Conley is a gamble of a deal that could hurt in the long-run. Rondo is a gamble in terms of fit and chemistry. Clarkson is unlikely. The rest would be below average starting point guards or not better than what we already have. We could go the trade route with Jeff Teague (or Schroeder) or Darren Collison (the only potential trade targets that really push the needle that seem somewhat available), or keep Calderon around and continue to develop Grant and Galloway while trying to get a swingman that can alleviate some of the ball handling and playmaking responsibilities.
The 2017 free agent class is going to be very Point Guard heavy. Westbrook, Teague, Holiday, Rose, Hill, Jack, Collison will all be UFA's and Oladipo, MCW, and Schroeder will be RFA's. There's definitely some logic in trying to strengthen other positions this summer and seeing what we have with Grant while Calderon plays out the rest of his deal.
What do you guys think of this list? Who intrigues you? What would you like Phil and Mills to do this Summer with our Point Guard rotation? What do you see Phil and Mills actually doing with our Point Guard rotation?
Discuss.