Phil Jackson and the New York Knicks made the first big splash of the NBA offseason with the Derrick Rose trade. There’s plenty of room to speculate on how it’s going to pan out, but there’s at least hope for the Knicks again after landing their most talented point guard in decades.
It also makes the Knicks much more attractive in free agency this summer. They have a reported meeting with the top dog in Kevin Durant, proving that Phil Jackson won’t be pulling any punches. But they’ll also want to have some fallbacks should they lose out on Durant this summer.
Tommy Dee of SNY.tv throws Chandler Parsons‘ name into the mix.
Another name I’m hearing that the #Knicks plan on meeting with regarding free agency is Chandler Parsons of the Dallas Mavericks. #NBA
— Tommy Dee (@ThomasCDee) June 25, 2016
Parsons has been hinting at wanting a max contract, and the Mavs are looking at doing some other things in free agency before committing that to Parsons. Based on what Parsons is looking for, the Knicks might only have a reasonable shot at signing him if they can’t sign Durant.
Either way, the Knicks’ plans for Parsons in the lineup is curious. Anthony and Porzingis have the forward slots locked in. Parsons at shooting guard is somewhat viable, but despite his position, the Knicks simply want to add more versatile talent. They’re been linked to Evan Turner, Joakim Noah, Dwight Howard, and now all the way up to Durant. Continuing to fill out the roster with capable pieces is their core objective. Planning to meet with Parsons only furthers their quest to manufacture true legitimacy this offseason.
