Denver Nuggets: 5 teams that could make a play for Will Barton
By Alex Murray
Will Barton destinations: 3. New York Knicks – Join the MSG revival
This isn’t the same New York Knicks team that we’re used to seeing: they seem to be more responsible with their money, and the squad actually has a proper identity thanks to head coach Tom Thibodeau’s hardnosed defensive style.
While the Knicks don’t offer the chance to play for a team with LeBron James on it that’s just one year removed from an NBA championship, they do have a very similar team makeup in which Barton’s skill set would fit nicely. The Knicks are a superb defensive team, so they don’t need Barton’s help there, but they do need help getting buckets.
Barton has always been known as a bucket-getter, a hooper, someone you could take to the park with you who you know is going to put on a show and dominate. He has a great layup package, he’s effective from the midrange with his jumper and his floater, and he’s a deadeye shooter from the corners, shooting the triple at 53.8 percent from the left corner and 45.5 from the right corner pocket last season.
The Knicks also have a ton of money to play around with, boasting the highest projected practical cap space going into the 2021-22 NBA season at just over $51 million. It would just be so on-brand for the Knicks to throw an absurd contract at a flashy veteran guy like Barton (which is not at all to say he’s lacking in substance) too, wouldn’t it? And with a nickname like the Thrill, New York City would seem like the right place for him.