The Knicks didn’t have the kind of summer free agency fans and owner James Dolan expected — “I think we’re going to have a very successful offseason when it comes to free agency” — but the silver lining is they didn’t do anything stupid, either. In the past when they struck out on Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving (Brooklyn) and Kawhi Leonard (um... somewhere) they would have panicked and dramatically overspent on a second- or third-tier star that hamstrung them against the cap for years.
Signings such as Julius Randle, Bobby Portis, Reggie Bullock, Elfrid Payton, and company were not long-term and over the top. The Knicks may not be a threat in the East next season, but they live to fight another day.
One question left, how do they fill out the last spot on the roster. Expect a Lance Thomas — who the team waived to create cap space as free agency started — to return, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post.
With Julius Randle and Taj Gibson at the four already on the roster, not sure how many minutes there would be for Thomas, who played in 46 games for New York last season and averaged 4.5 points per game. That said, we’re talking about the 15th spot on the roster, not going to be a lot of minutes for anyone who gets that spot. Carter would be an excellent addition to any locker room with young players learning how to be pros, such as the Knicks, plus he’d be a fan favorite because a few times a year he hops in the hot tub time machine and looks like vintage Carter.