NBA Rumors: The New York Knicks reportedly has the inside track (and should be considered the favorites) to sign Jalen Brunson in free agency.
For the past few seasons, the New York Knicks have tried and failed to find an answer to their issue at the point guard position. It’s involved stopgap after stopgap and a few failed draft picks here and there.
However, it finally appears that the Knicks have found their answer. It’s been long reported that New York was going to go hard after Jalen Brunson and there are rumblings that they may have their man already on board before the start of free agency.
There are now multiple reports (via Marc Stein and Tim MacMahon) that suggest Brunson is either leaning toward signing with the Knicks or that he’ll flat-out sign with the Knicks as soon as the free agency window opens.
Assuming that these reports are true (and there’s no reason to believe why they wouldn’t be), this is a huge win for the Knicks, a team that is hoping to take a major step forward heading into next season.
The hope is that a trio of Brunson, RJ Barrett, and Julius Randle would be enough for the Knicks to move up the hierarchy in the Eastern Conference. After all, the Knicks are just one year removed from finishing as a top 4 seed in the conference.
In fairness, they did take a major step back this past season, but the hope is that they could get back to form with Brunson being a potential add-on.
If the Knicks can find a way to re-sign Mitchell Robinson, they will certainly be in business. It’s tough to say if this move alone would significantly raise their ceiling, but this also doesn’t have to be the only move that the team makes this offseason.
The Knicks are on the right track. I suppose they just have to hope Brunson ends up being a home run of a signing.