The 2021-22 NBA season has been a complete disaster for the New York Knicks for multiple reasons.
Not only have they not been the same attacking defensive team that they were a season ago, but the Knicks have no reliable scoring options right now and while the rest of the Eastern Conference got better in the offseason, the Knicks got older and slower.
Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier were the two key free agent signings for the Knicks this past offseason and while Fournier has started to play better as of late, Walker has really struggled and does not look like he will ever reach the All-Star-level he was playing at a few years ago again.
R.J. Barrett has played well in his third NBA season, but he is currently out with an ankle sprain and Julius Randle has only recently stepped up his play with Barrett being out of the line up, as he has been struggling with consistency all season long.
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Being 25-34 on the season, currently 3.5 games back from the 10-seed in the Eastern Conference, it appears that the Knicks are heading towards picking in the NBA draft lottery once again, leading to more disappointment and changes on the horizon for this franchise.
Entering the offseason, regardless if they make the playoffs or not, the Knicks are expected to have some cap space and they could possibly create more by moving the contracts of Derrick Rose ($14.5M), Alec Burks ($10M), Nerlens Noel ($9.2M) and/or Kemba Walker ($9.1M).
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Knicks Lose 28-Point Lead vs Nets; Time To Fire Thibodeau?
The big question facing the Knicks in the offseason though is what the future of their frontcourt looks like. Julous Randle will likely remain a focal point of this roster at power-forward, but Mitchell Robinson is in the final year of his contract and is set to become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.
It is possible that Mitchell Robinson and the Knicks could agree to a contract extension before the end of the season, but the Knicks’ big man shot down questions about a contract extension recently and told reports, “Whatever happens, happens.”
Should Robinson become a free agent in the offseason, these three teams will likely consider signing the 23-year-old center.
