A familiar feeling crept over Knicks fans in the opening hours of free agency Monday evening.
After approaching August with hopes of landing a marquee free agent—namely a point guard—the Knicks quickly ran up a bill totaling $186 million in total salary. But New York’s spending spree didn’t bring Chris Paul, Kawhi Leonard or Lonzo Ball to the Big Apple. Instead, the Knicks made Evan Fournier their marquee move, paid relatively handsomely for Derrick Rose and Nerlens Noel, and committed to largely the same roster in 2021–22 as last year’s overachieving group. New York’s moves in free agency signaled a return to previous eras of mismanagement, with a familiar refrain emanating across basketball Twitter: same old Knicks.