The New York Knicks finally have their man. The Knicks have hired former bull coach and Timber Wolves, Tom Thibodeau.
It was interesting to see the Knicks hiring a coach who is considered more of a ‘win now’ rental than the man to guide their necessary rebuilding process. The last team that Thibs was hired to conduct in a rebuild was in Minnesota. Even now, years after being fired, wolves are still working on returning to relevance.
This is not a hit on Thibodeau. He is a good coach who has shown he can help lead a team to success in the post-season. Whatever Knicks’ plans are, they understand it. The San Antonio Spurs can sit and watch all this unfold. Or they can take action and try to make the most of the developing situation in New York.
The San Antonio Spurs were already lucky when the Knicks decided not to hire Becky Hammon or Will Hardy. Could they be lucky again and lure Thibodeau and his new team into possible negotiation with DeMar DeRozan?
DeRozan is at an interesting point in his time with the Spurs. He contributed strongly in his first two years with the team. He has greatly improved as a passerby, also showing that he can still be one of the game’s most lethal markers when it gets hot. But he also has a couple of young guys who are chasing after him and he has the little option of a $ 27.7 million dollar player to make a decision.
DeRozan said he didn’t start thinking about his future with the Spurs and that he won’t get there until the offseason, but that doesn’t mean that the Spurs can’t start making contingency plans in case he decides to join.
As mentioned earlier, Tom Thibodeau’s assumption indicates that James Dolan and the Knicks are looking to win now. Bringing DeRozan to help guide the next step in their rebuilding process could be a path to making it happen.
The Knicks are one of the few teams in the league that makes sense as a trading partner for Spurs and DeMar. They have a hole in the wing, lack a superstar to help excite their ravenous fan base, and have the space to offer DeRozan an extension after his current deal expired in the summer of 2021. They may also offer an interesting package of young players like Kevin Knox or choose San Antonio to get the Spurs in the deal.