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The New York Knicks have made one of the biggest splashes of free agency so far by stealing away Jalen Brunson from the Dallas Mavericks.
Brunson will slide right in as the starting point guard and anchor the position for his duration in New York. This is a big development as that has long been a position of need for the team for years now.
After breaking out in the playoffs, Brunson upped his value in free agency and that played a big part in why the Mavericks were unable to retain him. It’s also why fans and teammates alike are excited to play with the new roster.
Last season’s big signing Evan Fournier was among the first on the team to congratulate both Jalen Brunson and Isaiah Hartenstein on joining the team.
Fournier Reaches Out
Fournier, the Knicks record holder in three-pointers made in a season, pointed out that Brunson and Hartenstein are left-handed, so the team will be even more lefty-centric.
“One thing we’re gonna do for sure next year, we’re gonna drive left ahahha!! Welcome to the squad [Jalen Brunson and Isaiah Hartenstein],” he said.
With Brunson joining the team, the Knicks have what seems to be the more left-handed heavy starting lineup with him, RJ Barrett and Julius Randle. Fournier is good with his left hand as well, so it’ll be interesting to see how it works out for them.
This has actually been a criticism of the team in the past, and ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith has been very vocal about how it’s a problem.
“If I’m the New York Knicks, I kidnap RJ Barrett and Julius Randle for the entire offseason,” he said when the Knicks were eliminated by the Hawks in the playoffs. “I tie up their left hand, I handcuff them to a bar or something and I make sure that they are not allowed to use their left hands. They are only allowed to use their right hand for the entire offseason.”
Where Do the Knicks Go Next?
In shipping out Kemba Walker, Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel, the team was able to free up enough cap space to get Brunson signed to a deal.
Noel has already been replaced with Hartenstein, but the Knicks will have to figure out how to fill the other holes. Walker was away from the team after the All-Star Break last season, so that’s not a big hole to fill but Burks was a vital piece of last year’s squad.
Getting back a healthy Derrick Rose will help mitigate the loss of Burks, and perhaps Cam Reddish could step up and fill the hole left at forward.
Fans that were banking on a Carmelo Anthony reunion might not want to hold their breath on that as it’s looking unlikely that that’ll be an option for the team.
He’d be able to offer some decent scoring for the team, but adding a 38-year-old to such a young roster doesn’t seem like it makes a ton of sense.
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