If you are a Knicks fan, Wednesday was the best day you have had in a long time. By getting rid of Jared Jeffries and Jordan Hill, the Knicks have probably cleared enough cap room to sign two max-contract free agents this summer. But there are a few important caveats.
First and foremost nobody knows exactly where the NBA salary cap will end up for 2010-11. If it drops to $53 million as some have suggested it may, the Knicks will fall just short of being able to get two players at the max rate, assuming Eddy Curry is still on the payroll. In addition, there is the very real possibility that the Knicks won’t land one of the elite free agents this offseason.
That could lead the Knicks to mae a fatal mistake. Faced with the prospect of having to trade draft picks with Houston in 2011, Donnie Walsh might overplay his hand and give big bucks to flawed players, putting the Knicks back in salary cap purgatory. But, if Walsh and the fan base are patient, the Knicks could really prosper in the coming years.
In 2011, when the Knicks will have finally shed Eddy Curry’s deal, Carmelo Anthony becomes a free agent. In 2012, Kevin Durant, who the Knicks got a very good look at last night, becomes an unrestricted free agent. Durant may be the best player outside of LeBron and it is much more realistic to think he would be enticed by the idea of coming to the Knicks and escaping Oklahoma City than LeBron bolting from an elite team like the Cavs.
Of course waiting for a player like Anthony or Duran means the Knicks will continue to suck for the foreseeable future. But, unfortunately for fans, that may be the choice the Knicks have to make to get back to respectability.
