Remember last season? Everytime we heard anything about a free agent or a guy who might be moved at the trade deadline, the Knicks were mentioned. It didn’t matter if it was guy who really wouldn’t help the Knicks, it was like the Knicks just wanted to be involved. This summer, the Knicks have been quiet, except for their wildly entertaining draft night.
All of that changed last night. The Knicks presented an offer to restricted free agent Jared Jeffries, signing him to a deal the Wizards can choose to match worth about $30 million over five seasons. Since the Knicks are over the luxury tax threshold and will have to pay a tax on his contract as long as they remain over the limit, in actuality it’s like they signed Jeffries to a five year, $60 million offer.
Jeffries is a nice player, with a lot of size and the ability to play everything from the five to the two, but why sign a guy like this when you already have Channing Frye, David Lee, Reinaldo Balkman, Jalen Rose, Eddy Curry, Jerome James, Jamal Crawford, Quentin Richardson, Malik Rose and Maurice Taylor at those positions?
Unless you’re going to move one of those guys and get nothing back in return, it makes absolutely no sense. This doesn’t even address signing Jeffries to a deal that’ll cost you over $10 million a year, which isn’t anywhere near his actual value.
All of this means, of course, that Isiah Thomas is out of his slumber and back to ruining his team.
Comforting, if you ask me.
