The New York Knicks came into the NBA offseason with high hopes, but ultimately were unable to land any big-ticket free agents. While they have snared a number of other players, it seems as if the Knicks are already looking to the future, especially when it comes to how they structured many of their deals:
The four signings in New York- Bobby Portis, Reggie Bullock, Wayne Ellington and Taj Gibson all have a team option for next year, league sources confirmed to ESPN. New York can develop their young kids, stay competitive and keep flexibility for 2020-21.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) July 1, 2019
Bobby Portis, Reggie Bullock, Wayne Ellington, and Taj Gibson all agreed to two-year deals, but they all have team options for the 2020-21 season. Elfrid Payton also got a team option from the club on his two-year deal.
The team options allow the Knicks to part ways with any of these players after this upcoming season, and will also allow them to see how the players perform under the bright lights. This allows the Knicks to keep themselves flexible for the future, which is important for them as they look ahead to future free-agent classes.
Although next year's free-agent pool isn’t seen to be as deep, the 2021 class could feature the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo, and it wouldn’t be too shocking to see many teams — including the Knicks — position themselves in an attempt to sign him.
For now, the Knicks will try to regroup from missing out on Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant by fielding a relatively talented and deep team, though not one filled with superstars as many had hoped.
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