New York Knicks Should Aggressively Pursue Stephen Curry In 2017
The New York Knicks are slowly but surely rebuilding their roster back to the point of contention in the Eastern Conference playoff race. They still have Carmelo Anthony, but they were able to bring in Derrick Rose, Courtney Lee, Brandon Jennings, and Joakim Noah this offseason. Add in second-year budding star big man Kristaps Porzingis and the Knicks are becoming dangerous.
Looking ahead to next offseason, the Knicks could make an even bigger step forward. Rose will be hitting the open free agency market, and there is one superstar point guard hitting the market that they should pursue with everything that they have.
Stephen Curry will hit the open market and will have the option to sign with any team that he wants.
Last season with the Golden State Warriors, Curry won his second MVP award in a row. He averaged 30.1 points, 6.7 assists, and 5.4 rebounds per game. Curry also shot a sizzling 50.4 percent from the field overall and knocked down 45.4 percent of his three-point attempts.
At 28-years-old heading into the 2016-17 NBA season, Curry has two more big contracts left in his career. He is expected to return to the Warriors, but he will likely keep his mind open like Kevin Durant did this past offseason. Durant was expected to return to the Oklahoma City Thunder but ended up joining Curry in Golden State.
According to a report from Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report, the San Antonio Spurs are one team that will be pursuing Curry when free agency opens up next offseason.
New York may not be able to offer the same kind of recent dominance that Gregg Popovich and the Spurs can, but they have a rich basketball history that could intrigue him. Playing at Madison Square Garden is a dream of most NBA players. Performing in front of the huge New York crowd is another draw.
Curry will be one of the most sought-after free agents that the NBA has seen in its entire history. He will likely rival the attention LeBron James received a few years back when he left the Cleveland Cavaliers to sign with the Miami Heat.
We have mentioned the Los Angeles Clippers as a potential landing spot for Curry as well here at the Inquisitr. Bucher also reported that there is a “mystery team” who is already planning a major pursuit of Curry if he doesn’t work well with Durant.
If the Knicks were able to let Rose walk and sign Curry next offseason, they would be a contender. As of right now, the Cavaliers are the best team in the conference by far. Other teams like the Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers, and Boston Celtics are also considered contenders with Cleveland.
Phil Jackson has made his desire of building the Knicks back to a championship caliber team known over the last couple of years. He has done amazing things throughout his career, but rebuilding a proud franchise could be the best of them.
Needless to say, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for the Knicks with Jackson leading the way.
Curry may not even consider the Knicks if they come calling next offseason. He may already have his mind made up on returning to the Warriors. On the other hand, he may keep his ears open to anyone that wants to throw a sales pitch his way, and it might just change his mind.
Jackson and the Knicks must pursue him aggressively when free agency opens. They will have a lot of competition, but it is worth the time to see if they can intrigue Curry.
Do you think the New York Knicks should make an aggressive push to sign Stephen Curry in 2017? Would he be able to take them back to the NBA Finals once again? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below!
[Photo by Ben Margot/AP Images]
