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This past season, the New York Knicks' number one problem was their lack of depth. In the end, it came back to bite them as they fell short in the Eastern Conference Finals to a much deeper team in the Indiana Pacers. Thus, it's no surprise to see the Knicks look to rectify this problem of theirs, even addressing their need for a reliable bench guard by signing Jordan Clarkson once he clears waivers.
Even with that eventual signing, the Knicks are far from done making moves in this year's free agency period. In fact, they've been linked to another veteran point guard in Russell Westbrook, who could end up being New York's primary backup point guard for Jalen Brunson, replacing both Cameron Payne and Delon Wright.
Alas, one Knicks insider, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post, reported that it's unlikely for New York to sign the former league MVP due to two major reasons.
“From what I'm hearing, I wouldn't expect the Knicks to sign Russell Westbrook. There's no clear path to sustained playing time for him on this roster and he's not the type to sit comfortably on the bench,” Bondy wrote on his official account on X (formerly Twitter).
With the signing of Clarkson, it appears as though the Knicks' guard rotation is taking shape, with Miles McBride and Clarkson being more than able to fill the role of backup to Brunson.
Signing Westbrook gives the team another dynamic (he is a rim-attacker, playmaker, and a hustle/defensive kind of guy, while McBride is more of a shooter and Clarkson is more of a bucket-getter from the perimeter), but it doesn't seem as though the Knicks will be allocating the limited resources they have left to creating a backcourt logjam.
Assessing Knicks' needs heading into Day 2 of free agency
The Knicks are in need of additional depth on the wing and on the frontcourt, although their resources are so limited that they do not have much to offer to free agents. They already are above the first apron without making any moves yet, and they only have 11 players on the roster once Clarkson signs.
Provided that the Knicks sign Clarkson on a veteran minimum, they should still have the taxpayer midlevel exception to work with. Perhaps that would be good enough to sign Al Horford amid interest from other contending teams such as the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics. Other potential targets for the Knicks could be Larry Nance Jr. or Duncan Robinson.
