New Yorks Knicks Will Struggle To Sign Free Agents Next Summer

The New York Knicks will struggle to sign free agents because of the criminal activities that have plagued NBA players in the Big Apple recently, according to New York Daily News.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Chris Copeland was stabbed outside of a Manhattan nightclub earlier in the year. The situation was so bad that he feared that his career would end early.

Atlanta Hawks guard Thabo Sefalosha had his legs broken by police officers in New York City. Sefolosha was forced to miss the NBA Playoffs and that hurt the Hawks quite a bit.

New York Knicks forward Derrick Williams, who signed with the team over the summer, invited two women to his apartment. Williams found out in the morning he had been robbed.

Earlier in the week, New York Knicks forward Cleanthony Early was robbed and shot in the knee cap by a group of men that followed he and his girlfriend from a strip club in Queens.

NBA players notice these off-court incidents, so that might make it harder for New York Knicks team president Phil Jackson to convince players that it is safe to play in New York City.

Prior to all of these incidents taking place, the New York Knicks had trouble signing big name free agents for various reasons. Very few NBA stars wanted to be attached to the franchise. When LaMarcus Aldridge decided to leave the Portland Trailblazers via free agency, he chose the San Antonio Spurs over the New York Knicks. He claims he didn’t want to play center. Before LeBron James signed with the Miami Heat, he flirted a little bit with the New York Knicks, but it was said to be nothing serious. He didn’t even consider the team last summer.

Greg Monroe bypassed the glitz and glamour of the Big Apple when he bypassed the New York Knicks in favor of the Milwaukee Bucks. Wisconsin isn’t exactly as exciting as New York. DeAndre Jordan entertained the idea of playing for the New York Knicks, but that did not last very long, as his heart was set on either the Los Angeles Clippers or Dallas Mavericks.

New York City used to be as much of a free agent draw for the Knicks as Los Angeles is for the Lakers. Players signed up because they wanted the lifestyle that comes with the location.

While they are not going to be overspending like they did in years past, the New York Knicks know that free agency is going to be vital in their efforts to become a contender again.

An explosive guard would definitely be of some assistance to the New York Knicks, as they are simply not getting enough out of Jose Calderon, Aaron Afflalo and Langston Galloway.

Now that Kristaps Porzingis has shown that he can be a legitimate NBA star, the New York Knicks need to find free agents that will fit with him better than Robin Lopez currently does. Carmelo Anthony is 31 years old and Kristaps Porzingis is not yet a franchise player, so the New York Knicks might want to find another superstar that can help carry the entire team.

With the salary cap expected to rise considerably, the New York Knicks will have the ability and resources to lure some of the bigger-name free agents in the NBA next summer.

The problem is convincing them that they will not be involved with ugly incidents that have been plaguing NBA stars in that city over the past several months.

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