NBA Rumors: Analyst Predicts ‘Heavy Veteran Presence’ On Knicks’ Roster In 2020-21 Season

With mostly young players on the roster, it’s not surprising that the New York Knicks were struggling in the 2019-20 NBA season. Before the league went on a hiatus, the Knicks were sitting in the No. 12 spot in the Eastern Conference with a 21-45 record, and as of now, they are one of eight teams that will not return when the season resumes in Orlando. However, with Leon Rose currently serving as the president of basketball operations, the Knicks are expected to be more aggressive at finding ways to at least return to playoff contention next year.

In an appearance on ESPN Radio in New York with Larry Hardesty on Monday, Ian Begley of SportsNet New York discussed several topics, including his prediction for the Knicks in the 2020 NBA offseason. Like most people, Begley believes that Rose and the Knicks’ front office will make a huge roster overhaul this fall. With the goal to make a huge impact in the Eastern Conference, Begley thinks that the Knicks will have a “heavy veteran presence” on their roster in the 2020-21 NBA season.

“I think you are going to see a heavy veteran presence on the roster,” Begley said, as quoted by Jeffrey Bellone of Fansided’s Daily Knicks. “It’s not like they are going to roll the ball out and have a bunch of 19, 20, 21-year-olds in the rotation.”

Begley didn’t specifically mention any players’ names that the Knicks could target in the 2020 offseason. However, Bellone believes that there will be a major difference between the type of veterans that the Knicks signed last summer and the ones that they will go after this fall.

“I don’t think Leon Rose is looking to add experience for the sake of it; I think he will try to find complementary pieces who will make sure the rotation has enough horses to carry the young players through the season without finishing near the bottom of the league again,” Bellone wrote.

Aside from helping them in the development of their young players, the Knicks should make sure that the veterans they add this fall could make major contributions with their goal of ending their playoff drought next year. The 2020 NBA free agency may not be as talented as the previous offseason, but there are quality veteran free agents who could help them become real competitors in the Eastern Conference next season.

In the past few months, the Knicks have been linked to several players set to become unrestricted free agents in the 2020 NBA offseason, including Carmelo Anthony of the Portland Trail Blazers, Danilo Gallinari of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Christian Wood of the Detroit Pistons.