Most of you have probably stopped reading by now but hear me out.
Landry Fields IS NOT worth 3 years and $20 million dollars. But that doesn’t mean the Knicks shouldn’t pay him that much by matching Toronto’s offer sheet. A topic I’ve touched on in the past is that the Knicks have boxed themselves into a corner with respect to their ability to make trades because their roster was very top heavy with little balance in the way of salary fillers.
Now the Knicks have Lin, Novak, Kidd and Camby set to rake in about $5 million, $3.75, $3 million, and $4.2 million respectively, so they have a bit more trade flexibility. Landry as a contract will only enhance that flexibility. If the Knicks bring back Fields, in three years they will have a nice fat $10 million expiring contract, which we’ve all learned is a nice asset to have, and this is surely one of the last opportunities the team will have to add a meaningful asset for some time.
And the downside risk is limited. The Knicks are over the cap anyway so matching Toronto’s offer will not inhibit any move the Knicks could otherwise make. Nor is the length of the contract consequential. The final year is also the final year of the rest of the Knicks’ big money contracts. The only dent (if you could even call it that) will be to James Dolan’s perpetually overflowing cup.
Finally, while I acknowledge that it’s unlikely that Fields will ever, ever, ever ever ever ever be worth his current contract, as Howard Megdal points out, he might yet be useful as a player.
I never liked Landry Fields. I always thought that he was overrated. He was only signed by the Raps to deter NY to get Steve Nash. Now Nash is w/ the Lakers and the Raptors are basically stuck w/ him unless the Knicks decide to match. Should they? They’ve already got Iman Shumpert who can be pretty decent if given the minutes along with JR Smith. Plus, once Jeremy Lin is signed back, Woodson could shift him to the two spot if need be and play alongside Kidd in some stretches,