The New York Knicks have been one of the most active teams in the league this offseason, acquiring Derrick Rose in a trade with the Bulls and signing Joakim Noah and Courtney Lee in free agency. Though the Knicks didn't land a meeting with Kevin Durant or sign other top-tier players like Hassan Whiteside, they did vastly improve their team. Here are three things we learned about them in free agency.
3) New York wants to compete now
Make no mistake about it - these moves were not made for the future. They were made for New York to compete in the Eastern Conference right away. Rose, Lee and Noah will all slide into the starting lineup with Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis, giving them one of the best starting lineups in the conference.
The bench is still somewhat of a question mark, and there are questions about how much Rose and Noah have left after being hampered by injuries. Still, Noah is the only one they are committed to long-term, giving them flexibility with Rose if he doesn't play well.
With the Cavs as the only title contender in the East, the Knicks want to take a shot to see how good this team can be.
2) New York is a playoff team
Exactly how good are they? They'll definitely make the playoffs (barring injury), that's for sure. Toronto and Cleveland are the only other teams in the conference that can match New York's overall talent level. Miami, Atlanta and Charlotte both got worse, and the Knicks are certainly better than all three of them.
Milwaukee is the only other non-playoff team from last season that is projected to make the postseason in 2017, leaving New York with plenty of opportunity.
1) The Knicks are a realistic destination for a top free agency next summer
As an improved team with cap flexibility in the extremely weak East, the Knicks suddenly have a lot to sell top free agents on - other than just being in New York. Several of those free agents, namely Russell Westbrook, have shown interest in playing with Porzingis in the Big Apple, and if the Knicks show they can be one of the top teams in the conference, they may have their pick as to which free agent they want in 2017.
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