Getty Lonzo Ball, potential Knicks free-agent target
With due respect to Derrick Rose, Elfrid Payton and Immanuel Quickley, the Knicks need a point guard. That’s no secret. Rose is coming off an outstanding second go-round with New York, but he will be 33 in October and is best suited to a sixth man’s role. Quickley, too, was a pleasant surprise but is probably best served as a long-term backup.
Payton? Well, by season’s end it was clear that he should not be in the starting lineup—or, perhaps, even the rotation. Remember that, after starting the first two games of the playoff series against Atlanta, Payton was benched with DNPs in the final three games.
That brings us to the possibilities for the Knicks this offseason, which will be plentiful. But one realistic choice (forget the pie-in-the-sky hopes of landing Damian Lillard, guys) might make most sense of all—and there’s chatter that he wants to be in New York.
That would be Lonzo Ball, the No. 2 pick of the 2017 draft, who has bounced from the Lakers to Pelicans in his still-developing four-year career. Lonzo’s dad, LaVar Ball is said to want his talented sons (Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball just won Rookie of the Year) to play in New York, and has a connection with Knicks jefe Leon Rose.
As the New York Post’s Marc Berman wrote: “Leon Rose knows Lavar Ball from their past when CAA repped the family. The father’s eccentricities are not an issue. Sources believe Lavar, a former tight end on the Jets’ practice squad, wants all his sons on Broadway, and the Knicks are on Lonzo’s radar.”
Lonzo Ball: Solid Option, but Not a Scorer
Lonzo Ball would be an interesting fit in New York, a solid defensive guard with good size (6-foot-6) who averaged a career-high 14.6 points per game in New Orleans last year. He also notched 5.7 assists and 4.8 rebounds, in 31.8 minutes. His shooting was an issue when he entered the NBA out of UCLA and though he still has a funky delivery, his 3-point accuracy has been solid the past two seasons—37.5% in 2019-20 and 37.8% last year.
Ball is only 23 and an excellent passer, but the question is whether he can score enough to be effective with the current roster.
As good as the Knicks were defensively last season, they were bad offensively, with a rating of 110.2 points per 100 possessions, ranking them 22nd in the NBA in offensive efficiency. Though Ball is a very good distributor, he is also a career 39.7% shooter, and it’s doubtful he can improve much on the 14.6 points he averaged last year. The Knicks might need more punch out of the position.
What Would it Cost to Land Lonzo in New York?
There is also the question of what it will take to get Ball to the Knicks. He is a restricted free agent, which means the Pelicans can match any offer–it’s expected that Ball will get a deal in the $20 million per year range. While Ball has a say in where he plays next, he must work with the Pelicans to find an arrangement that is suitable to all parties—it is doubtful that New Orleans wants to lose Ball with no return.
That’s if they want to lose him at all. As ESPN’s Zach lowe says in this clip, “He seems to fit pretty well with Zion (Williamson), whatever Zion is becoming.”
If he decides he wants to play with the Knicks and signs an offer sheet, the Knicks could be forced to work out a sign-and-trade or else the Pelicans could simply match the offer and keep Ball.
Perhaps that would cost the Knicks a young player like Quickley. More likely, it would cost the Knicks a future first-round draft pick. The team has all its own picks in place going forward, and has first-rounders from the Mavericks in 2023. After the 2021 draft, the Knicks have five extra second-round picks on hand between 2023-26.
Ball is not a perfect fit but if the Knicks can’t land a big-time scorer at the position, he’d be a decent option—even if it costs a first-rounder down the road.