Getty Tom Thibodeau the head coach of the New York Knicks against the Indiana Pacers.
This coming offseason, the New York Knicks will almost assuredly be looking to improve upon their successes from the 2022-23 campaign by adding on additional talent to better round out their already impressive roster.
Though there are a few holes, in particular, that could use some filling, Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz believes that the biggest of all is the club’s three-point shooting production, and one player he believes could aid in mending it is 2022 NBA Champion and impending Phoenix Suns free agent, Damion Lee.
Despite highlighting that their “29.2 percent from three this postseason was a black eye on an otherwise successful season,” Swartz was optimistic in suggesting he believes it’s “one the Knicks can build on with some added shooting.”
Lee was one of the names mentioned as being a potential target New York could consider pursuing.
Since 2018-19, the shooting guard has sported a three-point percentage under 35.0% just once and boasts an overall conversion rate of 38.7% from beyond the arc during this time span.
After having won a title with the Golden State Warriors just one season ago, Damion Lee took his talents to Phoenix where he proved to be an incredibly reliable floor-spacing presence off the pine.
Through 72 games played, Lee went on to post averages of 8.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists while shooting 44.2% from the field and 44.5% shooting from deep, the third-best mark in the association.
Knicks a ‘Top Landing Spot’ for Chris Paul
Damion Lee may not be the only member of the 2022-23 Phoenix Suns roster that the Knicks could be in contention for this summer, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on June 28 that New York is one of four teams linked to legendary point guard, Chris Paul.
“If Chris Paul is out there as a free agent this summer, look at the two teams in L.A. — the Clippers and the Lakers — the Knicks in New York [and] the Golden State Warriors. Those are potential destinations for Chris Paul, who would sign a deal in a much lower number than the $30 million he’s guaranteed in Phoenix if he stays there past that June 28 deadline,” Wojnarowski said.
The soon-to-depart Chris Paul has close ties to Knicks President Leon Rose, who served as his former agent at Creative Artists Agency before agreeing to terms with New York back in 2020.
The organization also had an interest in striking a deal for the guard from the Oklahoma City Thunder before ultimately being shipped to the Suns during the 2020 offseason.
Knicks Unlikely to Trade Julius Randle This Summer
Despite the pleas from those such as Stephen A. Smith for the Knicks to offload Julius Randle this coming summer following a less-than-stellar playoff showing, one NBA executive recently informed Heavy Sports NBA insider Sean Deveney that such a move is unlikely to happen.
“They have found a way to get him to be really productive with what they do. But that does not really translate to a lot of other teams. So that is always going to work against them if they were to move him. But they have not had those conversations in a long time, and he has three years left on the contract (the third year is a player option) so it is something where he is not going anywhere for a while,” the GM told Deveney.
Despite his All-NBA performance during the regular season where he finished with impressive averages of 25.1 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game, the anonymous general manager would go on to tell Deveney that Julius Randle’s value on the trade market is still believed to be rather low.
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NBA Champion Linked to Knicks as Possible Offseason Target