The New York Knicks should be observing these future free agents during the NBA Finals.
The NBA Finals is in full swing and as entertaining as it might be, the New York Knicks have no stake in the result. The organization does, however, have free agency needs that can be met by some of the players involved.The Golden State Warriors have eight pending free agents on their roster and the Cleveland Cavaliers have four, not including those with player options.
The Knicks primary need is finding a starting point guard, and although they won’t find a solution to that problem playing in this series what they can find is experienced role players and a potential superstar wing.
These are the free agents the Knicks should be watching during the finals:
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Harrison Barnes, SF, Golden State Warriors
Harrison Barnes is a restricted free agent, but it’s widely anticipated that the Warriors won’t match the substantial offer he’ll receive.
When Barnes turned down a four-year, $64 million contract extension, it effectively confirmed that he expected to be paid a maximum salary in the area of roughly $20 million per season.
That kind of a commitment to such an unproven player would be a huge risk for any team, but especially so for one in as dire straits as the Knicks.
The question most have about Barnes is whether or not he will continue to make shots at such a high clip when he isn’t getting open looks instigated by Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
It’s a fair one.
Barnes’ greatest value right now is his three-point shooting — 37.6 percent for his career — and his untapped potential. If the Knicks were to sign Barnes, they’d be paying for what they hope he can be.
Could Harrison Barnes be the sharp-shooting, versatile small forward to Carmelo Anthony‘s stretch four? As interesting as that sounds, it’s likely just a pipe dream.
Small forward isn’t a position of need so Barnes is a long shot at best for the Knicks to consider. They should be watching the talented 24-year-old nevertheless.
Matthew Dellavedova, PG, Cleveland Cavaliers
Matthew Dellavedova is one of the only polarizing players in the NBA. He’s beloved by Cavs fans and reviled by others on Twitter.
Dellavedova has garnered a reputation during the last two seasons as a dirty player, whether it’s warranted or not. The incident against Kyle Korver in last season’s playoffs may not have been dirty but it was stupid and first labeled
Delly’s rep caused him to be voted the dirtiest player in the NBA by fellow players and coaches. Of the 24 votes cast, he earned 13.
Delly’s detractors would tell you that he’s dirty, but his admirers want you to know that the dude just plays hard and that’s what rubs the other guys the wrong way.
“See, guys resent people that play hard because they don’t want to play hard. So if a guy plays hard, he’s dirty. He’s not dirty,” One old-school Eastern Conference assistant coach told SI.com, “He just plays hard. People question the play he made in the playoffs against Korver. I just think it was poor judgment.”
Delly’s game isn’t discussed very much, other than by the haters pointing out his obvious flaws.
His means of scoring are one-dimensional. Delly is a shooter. His 3-point attempt rate was .468 in 2015-16 with a career number of .504. He was 41 percent from downtown in 2015-16 and 39.8 percent for his career.
It’s a shooters league right now which makes Delly valuable.
According to NBA.com, 438 of Delly’s 511 field goal attempts in 2015-16 were jump shots.
Delly’s value to the the Cavs is greater than he would be to any other team. They were +10.8 points per 100 possessions with their backup point guard on the floor, greater than the mark of starter Kyrie Irving.
Delly can play off the ball as well. He has a great catch and shoot rate, notching an effective field goal percentage of 68.2 percent in 2015-16 (via NBA.com).
He also recently get his own shoe. Not many backup point guards who average 7.5 points per game can say that.
There will always be differing opinions about a guy like Delly. He’s someone that you want on your team because if he’s with the opponent he’ll be trying to get under your skin the whole game. That’s his job.
Festus Ezeli, C, Golden State Warriors
Festus Ezeli is another valuable Warriors restricted free agent. Unlike Barnes though, the Warriors will try and retain Ezeli. To pry him away, the Knicks or any other team would need to dramatically overpay.
Ezeli is a very valuable role role player. Nylon Calculus puts his elite rim protection stats on display. During 2015-16 was first in position adjusted points per 36 minutes, third in shot contest percentage, and thirteenth in opponent’s field goal percentage versus contest.
Since entering the league Ezeli has been a beast on the boards, leading the Warriors in offensive rebounding percentage in each of the last two seasons.
Unfortunately his offensive game is extremely limited. According to Basketball-Reference, the average distance of an Ezeli field goal attempt during his three year career is just 3.9 feet.
He was 64.8 percent on shots that were less than five feet but just 28.5 percent on shots outside of that range in 2015-16 (via NBA.com).
Ezeli has missed 72 regular season games over the last two seasons and sat out the entire 2013-14 season due to knee surgery. That will scare off some teams, maybe even the Warriors out of giving him a long term deal.
The Knicks were 16th in opponent’s points in the paint during 2015-16. A rim protector like Ezeli could help.
Leandro Barbosa, SG/PG, Golden State Warriors
Leandro Barbosa‘s best days are behind him, but he has proven during this remarkable Warriors run that he’s still a valuable role player.
Barbosa put up his best numbers with the up-tempo Mike D’Antoni Phoenix Suns, so if the Knicks are serious are serious about playing faster Barbosa can be an asset.
He prefers to attack the basket as he averaged 2.1 drives per game in 2015-16 and nearly half of his attempts came less than 10 feet from the rim. That doesn’t mean Barbosa can’t shoot though. He does play for the Warriors.
Barbosa averaged 39.3 percent on catch and shoot threes this season and is a career 38.8 percent shooter from beyond the arc.
Barbosa would immediately endear himself to the Madison Square Garden faithful.
Timofey Mozgov, C, Cleveland Cavaliers
Timofey Mozgov is best known as being a part of the blockbuster trade that sent Carmelo Anthony from the Denver Nuggets to the New York Knicks. Since then he’s put together a solid career which looked like it could turn into something more before he hit a road block this season.
Mozgov hasn’t been the player the Cavs acquired midseason for their 2014-15 playoff run. He’s been hurting the team with his defense, his prior strength. Mozgov was phased out of the rotation and his days in Cleveland are numbered.
So why on earth should the Knicks consider this guy?
Well Mozgov is in Rajon Rondo territory right now. He will be looking for a one-year audition deal. The Knicks are in a position to take those deals.
With a change of scenery and a new roster Mozgov could provide some help.
As bad as he looked at times on defense this season, Mozgov was still a good pick and roll option, ranking in the 87th percentile while the roll man.
If Jeff Hornacek is serious on using the most basic play in basketball Mozgov would be a good addition.
Mozgov is another outside shot but he’s a bargain so if and when the Knicks strike out on Kevin Durant and Mike Conley, they’ll be looking for bargains.