Kyle O’Quinn was a great signing by the Indiana Pacers (who have quietly had a really good summer, no superstar moves but landing Tyreke Evans and Doug McDermott was smart). O’Quinn is a distinct upgrade over Al Jefferson (who will play next season in China) and he comes at a $4.4 million deal that will not break the bank.
O’Quinn spent last season in New York and couldn’t resist a shot at the Knicks on the way out the door.
Kyle O'Quinn joins the #Pacers bench mob. Passed on an offer to return to hometown #Knicks "I wanted to play for something more than next year's draft." @WISH_TV pic.twitter.com/usqbometm8
— Charlie Clifford (@char_cliff) July 9, 2018
Ouch.
That’s also pretty accurate. While rookie Kevin Knox has had a nice start in Summer League, with Kristaps Porzingis out for most if not all of the season, New York is going to struggle. The Knicks won 29 games last season and with KP out it’s hard to imagine the 14-game jump (give or take) it would require to get invited to the postseason dance.
On the other hand, the Pacers won 48 games last season, got better this offseason, and will be a second-tier team in the East this season. They are playoffs bound.
Quinn got what he wanted.