Harrison Barnes of the Golden State Warriors fights for the ball against Kent Bazemore of the Atlanta Hawks at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. (Photo : Getty Images/ Scott Cunningham)
The New York Knicks could be looking to add wing depth this summer, with Harrison Barnes and Kent Bazemore rumored to be the team's potential free agent targets.
The Knicks have the need to address the team's point guard spot, but it is no secret New York also need to improve every position in their roster, even the small forward spot, which is normally manned by Carmelo Anthony.
According to Maxwell Ogden of Sports Illustrated's Daily Knicks, Barnes and Bazemore could be among the free agents the Knicks are looking at in the second round of the playoffs.
Barnes and Bazemore are probably two of the most underrated players heading into free agency in July. Both players can be key cogs in any contending team as what has been the case in their respective roles with the Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks.
Barnes would give the Knicks a solid backup at the wing position, if Anthony remains the face of the franchise for the coming seasons. While Barnes has not displayed solid numbers during the regular season, the 23-year-old small forward has the tendency to become a first or second option to score for the Knicks.
However, Barnes enters the market as a restricted free agent, which means the Warriors could match any offer given to the small forward. It may go down to the Knicks offering Barnes a deal close to the max contract, although that would depend if New York deem him to be an overpaid athlete, considering the inconsistencies Barnes had in the past season.
Nevertheless, Barnes should be a great acquisition for the Knicks, especially if the team truly embraces Phil Jackson's triangle offense. Another athletic swingman that could fit in the Knicks new offensive identity is Bazemore, who has stepped into a bigger role with the Hawks in the last two seasons.
Bazemore has established himself as a key player on both ends for the Hawks, and there is nothing more fitting to play the triangle offense than a 3-and-D guy. As noted by Ogden, Bazemore has held opponents to 41.4 percent shooting, while scoring 11.6 points per game.
Bazemore is also expected to seek for a more lucrative deal in the free agency, which is somewhat a mix of good and bad news for the Knicks if New York really intends to acquire the versatile forward.
The good part about Bazemore commanding a max contract or close to such deal is that the Hawks would have a hard time offering a lucrative deal, with the team also projected to make a run at retaining Al Horford this summer. With a projected max salary cap of $34.6 million, the Hawks do not have much to shed for both Horford and Bazemore as well as other free agents they wish to pursue.
It comes as a splendid opportunity for the Knicks who could offer Bazemore a decent deal and lure him into playing for a team with a big market. But like the Hawks, the Knicks only have a projected $30.3 million to spend on free agents this summer, which should be managed well if New York also consider adding other key free agents.
There is no definite confirmation whether the Knicks would really want Barnes and/or Bazemore, but adding either of the two aforementioned players would certainly help in New York's cost to get back on track.
