The 2021 offseason was an important one for the New York Knicks. They had just completed their most successful season in nearly 10 years, earning the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, going 41-31 on the season.
The playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks ended in disappointment, as the Knicks lost in five games, but the foundation was finally being put into place. Some things were exposed in that series against the Hawks and the front office was going to react accordingly.
New York had the pieces to continue building up the roster and the moves that Leon Rose, Scott Perry and William Wesley completed during the 2021 NBA Draft heading into free agency were also encouraging. New York added more future draft capital and picks, building up their stable of young players even further.
With plenty of cap space to spend, the New York Knicks used a chunk of it retaining some of their key free agents. Derrick Rose, Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel and Taj Gibson were all re-signed. Elfrid Payton and Reggie Bullock, two starters from the 2020-21 team, were not re-signed.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: NBA Exec Reveals What Knicks Are Currently Missing On Roster
If there was one thing made abundantly clear during the series against the Hawks it was that the Knicks needed some more offensive-minded players. They could not keep up with the scoring prowess of Atlanta as Julius Randle and RJ Barrett needed help. Evan Fournier and Kemba Walker were pegged as the necessary upgrades offensively.
A majority of those signings have proven to be misses by the front office. An NBA executive got brutally honest about them, questioning the direction New York is heading.
“The Knicks have done a lot of things fine, and I like a lot of their young players,” an Eastern Conference executive said. “But some of their veteran signings have not been great. I don’t know that they’ve constructed a coherent direction.”
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: NBA Exec Reveals What Knicks Are Currently Missing On Roster
While Fournier has had some flashes and played much better in recent weeks, he hasn’t exactly lived up to the four-year, $73 million contract he signed. However, that signing has looked like a magnificent one when compared to Walker.
Walker’s homecoming was something many people were excited about, but things did not pan out as planned. The knee issues that have plagued him in recent seasons eventually wore on him with the New York Knicks as well. It was announced he would not be with the team for the remainder of the season during the All-Star break.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: NBA Exec Reveals What Knicks Are Currently Missing On Roster
New York sacrificed their identity from last season as a hard-nosed, defensive-minded team that would bring it every night. This team is incapable of getting stops when they need them most and the acquisitions that were expected to bolster the offense haven’t had enough of an impact to overcome the lackluster defense.
