The New York Knicks have signed a one-year $ 6 million deal with Alec Burks and are exercising patience to move forward.
According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, the Knicks have $ 40 million of salary cap space and remain interested in potentially using it to land Gordon Hayward.
But the Indiana Pacers appear to be his first choice and are continuing to explore signing and trading options.
Hayward officially gave up on the last year of his contract, which was worth $ 34 million.
That’s a lot of money to leave on the table, so it goes without saying that he has an idea of the market and knows there’s a long-term deal waiting for him.
But is New York willing to give him this?
SNY’s Ian Begley reports that the Knicks are reluctant to offer long-term deals this offseason, which could mean they won’t put a four-year deal on the table for Hayward.
They are also coming in with lower figures than Indiana, which remains Hayward’s favorite destination, and are aiming for a $ 100 million four-year offer after a sign-and-trade.
But Hayward likes the idea of playing for coach Tom Thibodeau and that could sway New York off is unwillingness to go beyond a two-year contract and keep them running, reports NYT’s Stein.