Few teams will be watched with more scrutiny this offseason than the New York Knicks, following a second-straight postseason elimination in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Armed with only the Non-Taxpayer’s Mid Level Exception, New York will have $12.9 million to offer outside free agents.
But in an article for Bleacher Report, Andy Bailey suggests the allure of playing in Madison Square Garden could land one six-time All-Star on a bargain contract.
He lists DeMar DeRozan as a “realistic” target for the Knicks.
“The non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception would pay DeRozan far less than the $28.6 million he made in 2023-24,” Bailey wrote on May 22. “But the Knicks may offer just the right mix of factors to get him to play for that amount.”
A number of aging stars have elected to sign lesser deals on contending teams in recent history. Julius Randle himself took less money to remain in New York on his current contract.
Whether or not DeRozan would do the same, and simultaneously accept a bench role, remains uncertain.
He finished the regular season averaging 24 points, 5.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.1 steals on a 39-43 Chicago Bulls team.
But at age 34 and going into this 16th season, he’s reached an inflection point in his career.
Bailey: DeRozan Could Juice Knicks Bench
DeRozan is a career 21.2 points per game scorer. There’s no NBA lineup he couldn’t help from an offensive standpoint.
Bailey thinks his best bet to positively impact the Knicks could be off the bench.
DeRozan has only come off the bench in 12 of 1,110 career games played.
The chance to still play a large role, even on a legitimate contender, makes for a sufficient argument to sign in New York.
“New York is perhaps the league’s most glamorous market,” Bailey wrote. “The Knicks are good. Madison Square Garden was electric this season. And juicing the bench with DeRozan’s scoring could push them a bit closer to genuine contention.”
The Knicks’ starting lineup played zero minutes together in the playoffs.
Randle suffered a season-ending shoulder injury, and OG Anunoby was in and out of the lineup with different ailments.
Josh Hart and Miles McBride were assumed to starting roles, and despite their performance, a lack of depth proved too big a hurdle.
DeRozan would certainly help that cause, as one of the NBA’s iron men performers.
He’s played 70 or more games in three straight seasons.
DeRozan: ‘I Love The City’
There have been no signs or reports that DeRozan is open to leaving Chicago. It’s his third NBA home, and he’s coming off his third year with the team.
On a May 15 episode of “Run It Back” on FanDuel TV, DeRozan talked with NBA alumni Lou Williams about the possibility of resigning in the Windy City.
“It’s definitely somewhere I’d like to return to,” DeRozan said. “You know, when the job ain’t done with me Lou, no matter how tough the situation may look, I’m one of those guys that tries to stick it through and make something out of nothing. The city is great, I love the city, the organization been great—it’s definitely a place I would love to return to, and take care of unfinished business.”
K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago reported in April that the Bulls had made a two-year offer to DeRozan, possibly in the range of $41-million annually.
Obviously, that offer hasn’t been signed, which could mean the six-time All-Star is angling for a longer deal.
New York’s non-taxpayer exception offer can go up to four years, but doesn’t come close in terms of revenue.
It is more realistic than the likes of Devin Booker or Paul George arriving in the Big Apple, but DeRozan doing so on a bargain offer seems farfetched.
Then again, the Knicks being a title contender seemed outlandish at one point too.
Yet here they are.
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