National Basketball Association

Phil Jackson's building blocks

Published Apr. 13, 2015 11:13 a.m. ET

foxsports

By Miles Wray

As president of the New York Knicks, Phil Jackson has made it known that the club, located in the biggest of markets, will be aggressive in pursuing free agents this summer. It should also be noted, though, that the Knicks were very aggressive in pursuing free agents last summer. Although Carmelo Anthony may have never engaged in serious discussions with other teams, he did hit the unrestricted free agent market last July, and Jackson responded by offering Anthony a five-year, $124 million contract—a.k.a. the very largest contract in total value in the league.

With one year down and four to go on Anthony’s deal, the move looks like a pretty major miscalculation. While Anthony might not have missed so many games if the Knicks were in a playoff hunt (after all, the last game he played in was the All-Star Game), getting a 40-game season from your 30-year-old player does not exactly scream “value.”

Not that Anthony was a huge difference-maker for the team when he was in the lineup, either. While the team has gone a dreadful 6–34 without Anthony in the lineup, they were just a marginally better 10–30 when he was healthy. The gap in winning percentages isn’t even totally explained by Anthony alone: he played all of his games early in the season, before the Knicks traded away nearly all of their useful role players like Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith, and Pablo Prigioni.

To be clear: Carmelo totally deserved his appointment as an All-Star. He is still an elite player. But at this point in his career, with his individual skill-set, he is an ill fit for a team that only won 37 games last season, when Anthony was healthy all year.

Since the Knicks are starting from a place perilously close to scratch, I would advise that Jackson does not pursue marquee “names,” like Anthony—who can only be had at marquee prices. Instead, I would recommend that Jackson pursue young, mid-tier free agents who have shown that they can play skillful team basketball. With only $34.9 million committed to next year’s team (and yes, about two-third of that going to Carmelo), the Knicks have both the funds and cap space to outbid just about anybody. But, seeing as Samuel Dalembert and Shane Larkin were in this team’s starting lineup on opening night, what this team needs is depth—not just the flashiest individual name on the free agent market. My recommendations:

Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll

Millsap and Carroll were teammates with the Utah Jazz, and then they hit the free agent market in the summer of 2013 and both signed two-year deals with the Atlanta Hawks. These were both masterful contracts on the part of Atlanta: Millsap ($9 million a year) and Carroll ($2.5 million a year) are both outrageously cheap and totally indispensable members of the Eastern Conference’s most successful five-man unit.

Both players will see significant raises next season. A raise of 300 percent or more for Carroll isn’t just a possibility; it’s inevitable. Since the Hawks have only $42.4 million committed to next year themselves, they will not be sitting idly by as the league no doubt rushes to make bids on these two stellar team players. Surrounding Anthony in the starting lineup with these two above-average passers and three-point shooters would quickly transform the rhythm and feel of this team.

If I were Millsap and Carroll, I would definitely want to remain in Atlanta, where I know I have an excellent coach, a bench full of exciting young players, and a growing track record of success. The Knicks would definitely have to spend a hefty sum to get these players interested in joining what has been a dysfunctional franchise for years.

K.J. McDaniels

Even before the season started, it was evident that McDaniels was due for a unique rookie season: in an unprecedented contractual strategy, McDaniels essentially gambled on himself by signing a one-year minimum deal worth $500,000 with no team option years to follow. Most second-round picks sign for at least two years for around $700,000 to $900,000 per year, with some combination of non-guaranteed or team option years to follow. As a result, McDaniels is going to enter the free agent market nearly 12 months to the day after he was drafted.

Twenty-two-year-olds with established NBA skills (dunks, blocked shots, and threes, in McDaniels’ case) never ever hit restricted free agency. After being traded at the February deadline, McDaniels has been almost totally buried on the Houston Rockets’ bench, only playing 24 total minutes for the team. But in the first half of the season, in his 52 games as a Philadelphia 76er, McDaniels put together one of the more extensive and explosive rookie highlight reels you’ll ever see.

While McDaniels is not a starter for a contending team at this particular point in his career, it would still be wise for the Knicks to invest in a free agent who is about as old as some of the players who are about to be drafted this June.

Khris Middleton

After riding the pine during his rookie year as a Detroit Piston, Middleton has established himself as a legitimate three-point threat during the last two seasons as a Milwaukee Buck, making over 40 percent of his three attempts a game in 2013–14 and here in 2014–15. That’s a pretty rare gift: Middleton ranked 12th in three-point accuracy last season and is currently 11th this season. Plus, over the last two seasons, there are only two players who have made more three-pointers and had a better defensive rating than Middleton: Danny Green and Stephen Curry. That’s pretty good company.

Just like with the hypothetical McDaniels signing, Middleton is such an appealing candidate because he is so young—he will turn 24 over the summer. Unlike with the Rockets—who have a pretty full cap sheet and thus may not be able to retain McDaniels in restricted free agency—the Bucks have committed just $48.4 million towards next year’s team, and Middleton is their only free agent, and a restricted free agent at that, meaning Milwaukee is guaranteed a chance to spend on their young player. At the very least, the Knicks could drive the price tag up for the small-market Bucks, and maybe Jackson would even feel comfortable putting forth an offer sheet that Milwaukee would be unable to match.

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