Bad contracts have plagued this franchise for years and is doing so now. When will it stop?
An Ongoing issue
Eddy Curry. Stephon Marbury.Joakim Noah.Jerome James. These are just a few players that received big contracts from the Knicks over the years that backfired terribly. Whether it was the player not meeting expectations or suffering an injury, the Knicks have had the worst possible luck when it comes to big contract signings.They have done this quite a few times with players throughout the years. And it has damaged the franchise’s reputation and future cap space because of it. Well, looks like that’s going to be the case once again.
Last offseason, the Knicks made a bold decision by signing several players to multi year deals and contract extensions. The most notable contracts were Julius Randle’s four year/$117 million dollar extension and Evan Fournier’s four year/$78 million dollar deal. The Knicks also gave Derrick Rose a three year/$43 million dollar extension. They signed Nerlens Noel to a three year deal worth $27 million dollars. And they brought back Alec Burks for a three year/30 million dollar extension. Plus,to top it all off, the two year/17.8 million dollar contract that they gave to Kemba Walker ended up to be the last of the cap room they had to work with going into 2022. Let’s just say that hasn’t panned out well for them.
A Knicks Knack for Spending
In a blink of an eye, the Knicks went from being one of the teams with the most cap space in the league to having no cap space. And for what? Kemba Walker,Evan Fournier, and Alec Burks are currently on the trade block. Nerlens Noel hasn’t played up to expectations. Julius Randle is having a down year and who knows how well Derrick Rose will play coming off yet another lower body injury? This organization just has a knack for spending a lot of unnecessary money especially when it comes to paying players that are past their prime (besides Julius Randle).
Now, there shouldn’t be a question why Randle and Rose got paid. Especially after last season’s success but the years on the contract could have been better. As for the others, it just didn’t make sense to sign them to those contacts then and especially at this point in time. Now, when the 2022 free agency period comes around, the Knicks will have a tough time adding some depth to this roster while exceeding the salary cap. Players such as Bradley Beal,James Harden, and Zach Lavine can possibly be up for grabs during that period. But the Knicks shoot their shot at signing those individuals.
In the future, this franchise needs to manage their money properly so they can at least have a chance to make a game changing move. If not, the Knicks will continue to add on to their laundry list of regrettable contracts they have signed players to. Hopefully they can find a way to learn from these silly mistakes and invest their money the right way for once. It’s all in the hands of the front office.
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