Knicks free agency targets with $5.2 million mid-level exception | Sporting News

The New York Knicks amended the Mikal Bridges trade on Thursday in an important way, as they added outgoing money to avoid being hard-capped at the first apron.

We’ll spare readers the complicated salary-cap specifics, but the Knicks now have more money to spend this offseason, including the taxpayer mid-level exception, which is worth about $5.2 million.

The Knicks’ rotation already figures to be deep, so they’ll have to be a choosy about who they add — any free agent signing would likely have to be a deep bench player who would be okay with few minutes, but could provide energy if called upon.

Here are four Knicks free agent targets who could fit that bill.

1. Kyle Lowry, PG

Lowry makes sense for the Knicks because of the obvious Villanova connection with the “Nova Knicks” of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo, and Mikal Bridges.

However, the Knicks could still use a backup PG, as Miles McBride is not a pure playmaker and second-round pick Tyler Kolek is a rookie. Lowry, at 38, would be an excellent veteran mentor for those two guards and can still provide steady playmaking and heads-up, winning plays, as he showed in the Knicks’ first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Lowry is a bit burdened play big minutes at this stage, as he also showed in that first round series. But as a ninth/10th man on the Knicks, he could be a valuable addition, especially if Brunson or McBride were to get hurt.

2. Dario Saric, F/C

Saric doesn’t necessarily fit the bill of the type of player the Knicks look for, and he may still want a bigger role. But if Saric was amenable to a reduced role, he could be an excellent fourth big man for the Knicks.

Saric is something of a 4.5 — an in-between of a power forward and center. While he’s not a great rim protector or rebounder, depending on the matchups, he could provide the Knicks with a different look as an undersized center because of his shooting (37.6% from three on three attempts per game last year) and his passing.

Saric played under Tom Thibodeau with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2018-19. It’s unclear how that might affect any potential interest between the parties.

3. Cedi Osman, F

Osman’s minutes per game have decreased five years in a row now, and he might be looking at an end-of-bench role at this point. For the Knicks, Osman could be a useful forward to have in emergency situations.

The Knicks injuries in last year’s playoffs to OG Anunoby, Julius Randle, and Bojan Bogdanovic created a problem where they couldn’t get enough size or shooting on the floor at once without sacrificing one or the other. At 6-foot-7, 230 lb, coming off a season in which he 38.9% from three on 3.1 attempts per game, Osman could fill that role, especially if the Knicks lost Anunoby, Randle, Mikal Bridges, or Josh Hart to injury. Osman also plays hard and provides some energy as a slasher.

Again, the Knicks are deep, so Osman likely would be out of the rotation when the team is healthy. But as an emergency forward option, he’d be a great backup.

4. Malachi Flynn, G

The Knicks got an up-close look at Flynn for a month after the OG Anunoby trade and before the trade for Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks. During that stretch, where the Knicks had several injuries, Flynn gave the Knicks some solid minutes as a backup guard, though he rarely played beyond the first half. 

Flynn has some craftiness to his offensive game and he competes hard. He randomly exploded for 50 points in a game with the Pistons late in the season. That raises some questions if he can become a microwave scoring guard off the bench.

Thibodeau likes to keep players he’s seen up-close and he’s big on players he trusts. Flynn seemingly earned that during his brief tenure with the Knicks, and he might be a nice option as a 10th man.