New York Knicks Rumors: Team Looking To Add A Few More Pieces, Could Shop Point Guard Jose Calderon Later On

The New York Knicks have made significant upgrades to their roster this offseason but they apparently are not done.

The Knicks, coming off their worst season in their history at 17-65, currently have 11 players under contract, though only nine of those are fully guaranteed. New York added center Robin Lopez, guard Arron Affalo, forward Derrick Williams, and forward/center Kyle O’Quinn through trades and free agent signings. They also re-signed small forward Lance Thomas along with power forward Lou Admundson. Newly drafted Kristaps Porzingis and point guard Jerian Grant are unsigned but according to reports will sign the dotted line soon.

Forwards Carmelo Anthony and Cleanthony Early, along with point guard Jose Calderon, are the other players with guaranteed contracts. Shooting guard Ricky Ledo and point guard Langston Galloway are the players with partially guaranteed contracts.

Ian Begley of ESPN New York is reporting that the Knicks are in still in the market for a veteran backup center and a backup point guard who can push the pace. With Kendrick Perkins off the open market, Greg Stiemsma, Justin Hamilton, and JaVale McGee are a few names being floated around as possible fits for the Knicks. The problem for the Knicks is that they don’t have any cap space left, however, they do have a $2.8 million exception that can be used to lure a free agent.

Stiemsma has appeared in 203 games for four different teams so far during his four-year career. The six-foot, 11-inch, 29-year old played in 17 games for the Toronto Raptors last year, averaging 0.8 points to go along with 0.9 rebounds in very limited minutes.

Stiemsma is not necessarily what the Knicks need, though he would be a good get as a 11th or 12th man off the bench. He hustles, is a tremendous rebounder, and is an excellent shot-blocker. However, his offensive game is limited.

Hamilton has appeared in 49 games in his two-year NBA career with 41 of those appearances coming last year with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The seven-foot, 25-year old averaged 5.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in 17.4 minutes of playing time with Minnesota a season ago.

Hamilton is a good scorer with three-point range. He is not very athletic and struggles finishing in the paint. Hamilton is very solid on the defensive end.

McGee has been linked to a number of teams this offseason, most recently the Dallas Mavericks. The seven-foot, 27-year old appeared in 23 games for Denver and Philadelphia before getting bought out by the 76ers.

McGee is very athletic and an excellent shot-blocker who is injury prone — he has appeared in 28 games the past two years and only 382 in his seven-year career. McGee has several good offensive moves but struggles on the defensive end at times.

For his career, McGee averages 8.4 points and 5.5 rebounds, while shooting 54.1 percent from the field.

The Knicks also could bring in Alex Kirk and Thanasis Antetokounmpo, the team’s 2014 second round draft pick, could also be options to join the roster for training camp.

Kirk, who appeared in five games for the Cleveland Cavaliers last year, looked very good for the Knicks Summer League team. The seven-foot, 23-year old averaged 7.0 points and 5.0 rebounds despite shooting just 35.3 percent from the field in 19.0 minutes of action. Kirk struggled on the defensive end, as he was whistled for over four fouls a game and isn’t a good shot-blocker.

Antekounmpo also is not a center or point guard, but is a tremendous athlete. The six-foot, seven-inch small forward finished the summer campaign, averaging 6.4 points and 1.8 rebounds in 15 minutes of action. He shot 55.0 percent from the field as a result of a 7-for-7 shooting performance against the Milwaukee Bucks, on July 17, when he tallied 17 points. Antekounmpo spent last season with the Westchester Knicks, the D-League affiliate of the franchise.

There is really no veteran point guard free agents that stand out. Unrestricted free agent Andre Miller and restricted free agent Norris Cole tops the list of available point guards. Phil Pressey, Darius Morris, John Lucas III, Will Bynum, Jerel McNeal, and Lester Hudson are other veterans still on the open market.

The lack of quality point guards on the open market is a reason the Knicks could look to move Calderon, if things don’t go well for the team next season. New York attempted to trade Calderon last season but couldn’t find any takers.

Calderon struggled with injuries last season, which affected his play when he did return. The 33-year old averaged 9.1 points and 4.7 assists while shooting 41.5 percent from the field and 41.5 percent from beyond the arc.

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