New York Knicks Not Showing Interest In Three Former All-Stars
Going 37-45 is not necessarily bad, but after making the playoffs as the 4-seed in the Eastern Conference during the 2020-21 season, the 2021-22 season presented itself as a massive disappointment for the New York Knicks.
To make matters worse this offseason, they once again missed out on landing a huge name on the open market, as the team failed to negotiate a deal for All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, who the team could have desperately used as both an upgrade in their backcourt and as their leader moving forward.
Mitchell is now with the Cleveland Cavaliers and while the Knicks did sign Jalen Brunson to a massive deal this offseason, New York still enters the 2022-23 season as a team nobody is considering as a threat to make the playoffs.
Making the playoffs just once over the last nine seasons, the Knicks have been left scrambling for ways to improve their roster.
Recently signing RJ Barrett to a new long-term extension and showing faith in All-Star forward Julius Randle by not trading him, the Knicks do believe that they have what it takes to be competitive in the Eastern Conference. However, they still have some open roster spots to fill and they have been linked to several former All-Star free agents in recent weeks.
Carmelo Anthony, LaMarcus Aldridge and Blake Griffin are three big names who are still available that could all be appealing assets for the Knicks to add to their roster ahead of the start of the 2022-23 season, but it does not appear as if any of these veterans are on the team’s radar.
According to the New York Post’s Marc Berman, the Knicks do not view any of these veterans as “a good fit at the moment” and New York is not expected to show interest in signing any of them over the coming weeks leading up to training camp.
Berman did note that Griffin, Aldridge and Anthony could all serve in a mentorship role to Obi Toppin and Julius Randle and that signing Aldridge could make a lot of sense for the Knicks should they look to trade Randle at some point.
The Post did previously report that the team had internal talks about possibly bringing Carmelo Anthony back to New York, but that does not seem to be the case anymore.
Carmelo Anthony, LaMarcus Aldridge and Blake Griffin are all former All-Stars who remain free agents this NBA offseason, which is surprising given that all three veterans could still help various championship contenders in this league.
Should they remain unsigned heading into the start of training camps around the league, these three talents will likely be key in-season additions for teams who end up dealing with injuries.
