The Knicks offseason is mostly done, having re-signed the majority of the title winning team, minus both Mitch and Hukporti. Losing both of them was rough, especially because Mitch was the longest tenured Knick and because he went to the Celtics of all places. While Hukporti didn't have the same length of tenure, he was also a fun member of the team and stepped up a few times the in the playoffs. His title celebrations were also incredibly fun and endeared him to me and I'm sure many other Knicks fans.

The Knicks signed Drummond, who can replace some of Mitch's offensive rebounding, but is nowhere near the rim protector Mitch is and doesn't have the same foot speed that allowed Mitch to even affect players on the perimeter. Still, the Knicks have to sign at least one more player to meet the minimum amount of players on the roster and while there is a good argument for waiting for the trade deadline to sign another center, it's something that worries me a bit. The Knicks had the luxury of having two starter quality centers last year and given KATs ongoing foul trouble (I do think he's unfairly singled out by the refs for this but it's still a factor) and just wanting to spread the minutes around, I'd feel more comfortable with another rotation worthy center to soak up minutes.

Enter the Pelicans and Matkovic. While they've resisted the urge to trade Missi, they still have Derik Queen and re-signed Deandre Jordan to a mystifying 2 year contract. Matkovic seems to be the odd many out and I think the Knicks should pounce. He's a solid rim protector who rebounds well and has an outside shot as well. He's shown enough that I do think it's worth it for the Knicks to go for. This trade sees them trade 5 SRPs plus Kolek. The Pelicans have a surplus of rangy wings and I don't see Dadiet having much appeal while they may like Kolek for his playmaking ability. As for the Knicks while Kolek has become a fan favorite, I don't see him having a ton of playing time since Alvarado has firmly cememted himself as the backup PG. Plus, the Knicks arguably have a surplus of shorter guards and I think sizing up would be positive.

The Knicks also could sign Jabari Walker if the 76ers waive him as they seem likely to do to make roster space for LeBron and KCP. He's a solid defender and I'd hope the Knicks shooting coaches could work their magic on his 3 point shooting to make him more playable on offense. Regardless, as a solid defender and great rebounder, he'd fit in well on the second or third units and has even played some small ball 5. I have the Knicks giving him a 2 year deal to sweeten the pot to convince him to sign with them. He's still a young player and the Knicks would then have 2 younger frontcourt players they could develop into role players. Most importantly, I think the Knicks as a whole are a bit frontcourt-lite and need some size on the bench which this solves.

Finally, the Knicks retain a roster spot to utilize at any time during the season (it's above the veteran's minimum) and could replace Kolek with Kayil as one of their two-way players. He's not as much of a playmaker but has potential there and looks good on defense. I'd guess that Kayil, Nickel and one of McCullar/Jemison would be the two way players vying to get converted to a standard contract. I could see the Knicks trading away Dadiet to make way for two of them as well if two really show out.

Depth Chart:

PG: Brunson, Alvarado, Kayil (two-way)

SG: Bridges, Deuce, Clarkson

SF: Hart, Shamet, Dadiet/Nickel (two-way)

PF: OG, Diawara/Walker

C: KAT, Matkovic/Drummond