The New York Knicks accomplished a ton this season but there is still work to do. That means tweaking the edges of their roster and dropping these players.
Even with a playoff exit that came earlier than they were hoping, this season was a resounding success for the New York Knicks. They bounced back from last season's regression, making the playoffs for just the second time in a decade, and knocked off the higher-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round.
Jalen Brunson emerged as a star, Julius Randle adjusted and young players like Immanuel Quickley, Quentin Grimes and Obi Toppin found more consistent roles and more success than at any other time in Tom Thibodeau's tenure.
The Knicks are a team on the rise but they still have some changes to make this offseason, clearing out the roster detritus from previous iterations of this team and continuing to upgrade for next season.
These New York Knicks definitely won't be back next season:
3. DaQuan Jeffries
Jeffries is an undrafted wing out of Tulsa who has played just 643 minutes over his three-year career, despite spending time on the rosters of seven different teams as he cycled through a series of partially guaranteed and 10-day contracts. He signed a two-way contract with the Knicks in the fall, was waived and the proceeded to sign two more 10-day contracts with New York before they signed him to a multi-year contract on March 26.
However, he never actually appeared in a game for the Knicks and his minimum salary for next season is not fully guaranteed. Clearly, someone in New York liked him enough to keep him on the fringes all season but expect the Knicks to find another use for his roster spot next season.
2. Evan Fournier
The Knicks reportedly dangled Fournier in trade discussions all season but weren't able to find any takers. At one point, the 30-year-old guard was a useful floor spacer and secondary creator but his utility to the Knicks has long since passed. He appeared in a career-low 27 games this season, shooting 33.7 percent from the field and 30.7 percent from beyond the arc.
Another team may be able to revive his offensive value but his contract — about $19 million per season has made him an albatross. He has two years left on his current deal but the 2024-25 is a club option which essentially makes him an expiring contract. If the Knicks are going to make a big move this summer, they'll likely need to include Fournier for contract-matching purposes and teams may be more willing to take him on as dead weight knowing it will only last for a year.
I'm not sure exactly where he'd end up or what deal he'd get rolled into but it seems like this is finally the time Fournier and the Knicks part ways.
1. Derrick Rose
Rose has become something of a fan favorite over his two different stints with the Knicks — the 2016-17 season when he averaged 18.0 points and started 64 games, and this most recent stretch over the past two-plus seasons.
Rose is firmly a veteran backup at this point in his career and with Jalen Brunson and the rise of Immanuel Quickley, he was forced to transition into a mostly non-playing leadership role. Rose appeared in just 27 games and while the Knicks explored trade options, they ultimately decided he was more valuable as a mentor for their young guards, a challenge Rose appeared to relish.
However, his playing days aren't completely over. Rose has a lot of miles on his legs but he's still just 34 and there are certainly teams who will be interested in him as a veteran mentor but with a lot more minutes to offer than the Knicks will be able to next season. He is on the books for $15 million next season but it's a club option. Given the mutual respect here, it seems likely the Knicks will decline the option, giving him the option to seek a larger role somewhere else and parting ways on good terms.
Check out The Step Back for more news, analysis, opinion and unique basketball coverage. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to our daily email newsletter, The Whiteboard.