Knicks to target creation, floor spacing this offseason?

The Knicks have several areas in need of improvement this offseason, with some in the franchise believing that acquiring a lead guard who creates shots should be a top priority for the team, Ian Begley of SNY writes.

Other focal points (prior to Leon Rose being hired) included finding a big man who can spread the floor, Begley notes, adding that one opposing executive in contact with New York said part of their offseason thinking will be finding players who compliment RJ Barrett.

“If you want to complement Barrett, that’s where I’d go,” the executive said. “Adding (a guard and big man who can shoot from the perimeter), you space the floor and make things easier for him. The floor was so crowded for them this year.”

The Knicks held a 21-45 record when the NBA season was suspended indefinitely on March 11, good for fourth-worst in the Eastern Conference and sixth-worst in the league. The team had an underwhelming 2019 offseason and fired head coach David Fizdale 22 games into the campaign.

Here are some other notes from the Eastern Conference tonight:

• This free agency period will likely complicate whether the Heat will be able to retain Derrick Jones Jr., Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel writes. Jones, a gifted athletic forward who’s noticeably improved on offense, is set to become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, with COVID-19 likely to impact the league financially and Miami trading for wing players Andre Iguodala and Jae Crowder in February. The Heat also have several other players set to reach free agency, complicating matters even further.
• Josh Robbins of The Athletic examines why the Magic will prioritize finding a back-up point guard for Markelle Fultz in free agency, with both D.J. Augustin and Michael Carter-Williams set to become free agents. Fultz averaged 12.1 points and 5.2 assists in 28.3 minutes per game, proving his worth on both ends of the floor at just 22 years old.
• Eric Koreen and Blake Murphy of The Athletic explore how various return scenarios would impact the Raptors. Toronto currently holds a record of 46-18, sporting a nucleus of Pascal Siakam, Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, Serge Ibaka and others.