Patience Key for Knicks Next Move

The New York Knicks might need to upgrade the roster, but it won't be easy to get it done.

Jan 30, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) talks to referee Brent Barnaky (36) during the first quarter against the Utah Jazz at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks hope that the roster they have constructed this offseason will be enough to overtake the Boston Celtics and emerge atop the Eastern Conference.

However, they have a lot of ground to make up, and the addition of Mikal Bridges may not be enough for the Knicks to accomplish all of their goals.

They won't be able to access the trade market with their limited resources, but The Athletic insider Fred Katz believes the buyout market will be of interest to the Knicks when the trade deadline comes in February.

"The trade market isn’t the only place the Knicks could find a worthwhile backup. If they wait long enough, they could scour the market for buyout candidates in February or March. They are yet to use the taxpayer midlevel exception. If they hold onto that, they could pay any free agent up to $5 million to join them," Katz writes.

Given the fact that the Knicks shipped off most of their future draft picks to the Brooklyn Nets in the Mikal Bridges trade, New York doesn't have a whole lot to offer teams if it needs to make a deal.

The buyout market works mostly for veterans on non-contending rosters. A lot of players get traded at the deadline to teams for salary cap purposes and then get bought out because they end up on a non-contending roster.

For instance, Kyle Lowry was traded by the Miami Heat to the Charlotte Hornets for Terry Rozier back in February. The Hornets, who didn't need a veteran point guard, bought Lowry out. That made Lowry a free agent, which cleared the path for him to join the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Knicks would need to open up a roster spot in order to bring on a player in the buyout market in March, but it's an easy way to upgrade the back half of the roster without having to give away much in return.

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