List: Contracts the New York Knicks DID NOT sign on the first day of free agency
By Ian Levy
The Knicks did not make the splash they were hoping in free agency, but maybe things aren’t as bad as they appear.
So far the Knicks free agent acquisitions have been…understated. Through roughly the first 24 hours of free agent negotiations, they had added Taj Gibson, Julius Randle, Bobby Portis, Reggie Bullock and Wayne Ellington. None of the contracts are exorbitant. None of the contracts are for a player who is likely to be a dramatic disappointment, given the cost. None of the contracts need to be on the books past the 2020-21 season (Randle’s is for three years with a team option).
Still, most of the attention paid to the Knicks free agency has been about the contracts they did not sign — namely the four-year deals that Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant signed with the Nets. The Knicks have been eyeing those players all season long and not landing them is certainly frustrating. But while they didn’t sign the contracts they most wanted to, they also didn’t sign any of these contracts…
They DID NOT sign Tim Hardaway Jr. to a four-year, $71 million contract.
They DID NOT sign Joakim Noah to a four-year, $72 million contract.
They DID NOT sign Carmelo Anthony to a five-year, $124 million contract.
They DID NOT sign Eddy Curry to a five-year, $60 million contract.
They DID NOT sign Jerome James to a five-year, $30 million contract.
They DID NOT sign Amare Stoudemire to a five-year, $100 million contract.
They DID NOT sign Allan Houston to a six-year, $100 million contract.
They DID NOT sign Stephon Marbury to a five-year, $90 million contract.
Next. Where did the top free agents sign?. dark
Knicks fans are hurting right now and the first day of free agency certainly could have gone better. But they shouldn’t forget that it also could have gone much, much worse.