NBA Rumors: New York Knicks To Sign DeMar DeRozan In NBA Free Agency?


The New York Knicks are hoping to make a splash in free agency this offseason and they believe that they have a chance to do just that. Phil Jackson is aggressively trying to get the Knicks back into title contention, which became obvious when he made the move to acquire Derrick Rose from the Chicago Bulls.

Kevin Durant is the biggest name on the free agency market, but it doesn’t appear that the Knicks have too much of a shot at bringing him to New York. There is another big name on the market that the Knicks could turn their full attention to.

Sam Amick of USA Today Sports reported that the Knicks are interested in signing free agent shooting guard DeMar DeRozan.

DeRozan would be an excellent pickup for the Knicks, who are looking for another scorer to create a big three alongside of Carmelo Anthony and Rose. He would be that guy and could be the piece that powers that Knicks back to the postseason. It won’t be easy to sign DeRozan, but it certainly should be of interest to the Knicks.

DeMar DeRozan could sign with t he New York Knicks this offseason.
[AP Photo/Nell Redmond]
Last season with the Toronto Raptors, DeRozan ended up averaging 23.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. He shot 44.6 percent from the field overall and knocked down 33.8 percent of his three-point shots. His consistency in the postseason was a concern, but he still helped lead the Raptors to the Eastern Conference Finals where they lost against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

At just 26-years-old, the Knicks could get DeRozan for the majority of his prime. He still has a lot of areas that he will improve in as he plays more, which should excite teams interested in signing him as well.

Toronto is going to do everything in their power to re-sign DeRozan when free agency opens up on July 1st. Many believe that his first choice would be to stay with the Raptors if he gets a fair deal. He has a great relationship with star point guard Kyle Lowry, and the Raptors seem to be on the rise in the East.

New York has a lot of money to spend in free agency and can definitely afford to give DeRozan a max deal. It is likely that the Raptors will agree fairly quickly with DeRozan on a max contract, but if the two get into any issues he could bolt for a team like the Knicks.

If there was a problem between the Raptors and DeRozan, the Knicks would be a perfect landing spot within the division. Getting back at his old team could be a motivation to sign with New York if something happened.

DeMar DeRozan could leave the Toronto Raptors this offseason.
[AP Photo/Tony Dejak]
Needless to say, the upcoming offseason is going to be incredibly entertaining for the NBA and its fans.

There is more money to spend for almost every team and there are a lot of quality players on the market. DeRozan and Durant are just two of the big names that teams will be competing against each other to sign. DeRozan will have more teams than just the Raptors and Knicks vying for his services as well.

Expect to hear a lot of rumors with DeRozan’s name attached to them in the next week or two. New York may very well end up being included in some of those rumors alongside of DeRozan’s name. They are certainly interested in bringing in a big name, and DeRozan may end up being their guy.

Do you think the New York Knicks would be a good landing spot for DeMar DeRozan? Would he help power them back to the playoffs if they were able to sign him? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below!

[AP Photo/Gerald Herbert]

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