New York Knicks Could Target Veteran Center in Offseason

The New York Knicks have a lot to evaluate in developing a plan to improve upon their current roster without disrupting their building momentum.

“I’m told the Knicks have internal meetings (scheduled) this week to evaluate everything from the roster (to) different changes they could make around everything, but especially the roster,” ESPN insider Shams Charania said on SportsCenter earlier this week. “They can either make moves through trades in attempting to drag talent out of other situations, or try to woo a free agent to New York in the open market.”

The Knicks, always hunting in free agency, has never been a more attractive destination in the 21st century. They’re coming off their first conference finals appearance since 2000, finally shaking off a quarter-century of bad vibes and mismanagement.

Tim Bontemps of the Hoop Collective podcast suggested that the Knicks attempt to lure Al Horford away from the Boston Celtics this summer, a team with which he’s spent seven of his last nine seasons and won the 2024 NBA championship with.

He’s still productive nearing the end of his 30s as a defensive and floor-spacing teammate, and Bontemps makes the case that not only is he attainable for the Knicks, but he could also be just what they need to further their dreams of contending.

“If they go get Al Horford this summer – who I think would be an unbelievable fit on this Knicks roster – and they go get another perimeter player to deepen their rotation…that’s a much better team,” Bontemps said. “That’s a team that could beat the Pacers next year. That’s a team that’ll be in the mix in the East.”

He argues that Horford’s fit in Boston wouldn’t make as much sense as before, given the down year they’re likely headed towards amidst Jayson Tatum’s long road back from an Achilles tendon tear.

Horford, also a longtime friend and teammate of Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns, can use their years of collaborating on the Dominican national team to form a stronger locker room. The older veteran has developed a reputation for galvanizing rosters and doing whatever he can to set a winning example, and he still has his presence to offer entering his 19th season.

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