The New York Knicks may be interested in pursuing Jrue Holiday when he hits free agency this offseason.
According to ESPN, the New York Knicks may have their eye on Jrue Holiday when he hits free agency this offseason. ESPN’s Ian Begley reported that Phil Jackson was interested in trying to trade for Holiday early in his tenure with the Knicks and could make that signing a top priority this offseason.
After waiving Brandon Jennings to get his $6 million dollar contract off of their hands, the Knicks now have to decide if they want to keep Derrick Rose around. If they did decide to move on, they would have almost $24 million dollars in cap space to work with. Statistically, Jrue Holiday would be a significant improvement over Derrick Rose if the Knicks were able to convince him to sign.
He knocks down the three-ball at a higher clip, he ranks in the top fifteen in steals and is a much better passer than Rose. He drops 7.4 dimes a game, and, according to NBA Stats, ranking in the top ten in assist points created.
Holiday is only 26-years old and, despite injury concerns from the past, if he was given the right environment, could return to his All-Star form. There will definitely be other suitors for Holiday which brings up another discussion, will players be willing to go play for James Dolan in New York?
After Charles Oakley’s removal and arrest from Madison Square Garden after scuffling with security, players like LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Jamal Crawford were vocal in their support for Oakley.
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This is a big offseason for the Knicks as they are struggling to find an identity. They simply can’t afford to be skipped over by every top free-agent and overpay sub-par ones to keep prices up.