NBA Rumors: New York Knicks interested in Patty Mills

After a memorable stint in the 2014 NBA Finals, guard Patty Mills of the San Antonio Spurs is beginning to garner huge interest around the league as he enters free agency this summer.

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One team that would love to give Mills a chance to be their starting point guard is the New York Knicks, according to a report by Marc Berman of The New York Post:

"The Knicks will look to use their mini mid-level exception to obtain a free-agent starting point guard and one may have emerged out of the Finals massacre of Miami in Spurs backup Patty Mills.According to a source, Mills, unique because of his indigenous Australian heritage, would be intrigued by the idea of playing in New York and increasing his role from Tony Parker‘s backup to a more marquee role.“New York is definitely a city Mills would want to play in,” the source said. “He has that personality.”"

Mills averaged 7.3 points on 44.7 percent shooting from the field and 40.5 percent from behind the arc during the Spurs’ championship run. He also averaged 10.2 points and 2.1 rebounds in 81 games during the regular season.

He scored 14 points, including four straight three-pointers, during the third quarter of San Antonio’s 104-87 Game 5 win on Sunday night.

“He’s a special guy,” Popovich said after Sunday’s game (per New York Post). “His energy has been important to us all year long. He’s a real significant reason why we got to the Finals. That energy, that team sense that he has really has become infectious for everybody.”

The question now is whether Mills can make the transition from backup guard to a full-fledged starter. His role on the Spurs was very limited, so if he’s looking to take on more responsibility, the Knicks can give him that opportunity.

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