Free Agent Could Reunite With Several Key Knicks

The New York Knicks technically control how they'll round out this upcoming season's roster, though they may have already laid out their hand for all to see.

They already made their desire for Ben Simmons known, seeing him as the end-of-the-rotation defending and passing big to best suit the former star at this current point in his career. But Simmons, never known for making things easy on NBA front offices, is making the Knicks wait while he deliberates between his most intriguing suiters.

They'll provide him with the time he requires, but it's worth keeping an open mind of the other free agents lining the open market who can fill a similar niche to the former No. 1 overall pick.

Brett Siegel rounded up some of the few free agent names worthy of cracking a competent team's regular rotation, naming one forgotten forward who analysts shouldn't count out as the final Knick on next season's roster. Trey Lyles may have been quietly dumped by the messy Sacramento Kings after a disappointing season, but there are a few compelling factors that suggest he may be New York's next target.

For one, he's already familiar with several key Knicks voices. He not only played under new Knicks coach Mike Brown on those Kings teams, but also tasted his first bit of fame as a teammate to Karl-Anthony Towns on the highly-regarded 2015 Kentucky Wildcats squad.

Siegel sees the Knicks as one of the favorites to feature Lyles on his sixth NBA team, with the cheap veteran's minimum contract option making for a worthy bet on the 3&D forward to rediscover some of that corner shooting that helped make him such an important cog in the 2022-23 Kings, a diminished version of the backup big role Simmons would play with much more play-finishing appeal.

"Given his experience in this league, Lyles can be a great late-offseason addition to any team wanting to beef up their frontcourt," Siegel wrote. "Perhaps a team like the Knicks, which have limited space remaining and has two roster spots to fill, could add Lyles next to Karl-Anthony Towns, his former Kentucky teammate."

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