The New York Knicks could just have done a favor to their Eastern Conference rivals with their recent free agency signing.
A massive offseason for the New York Knicks began when they fired Tom Thibodeau.
Mike Brown was appointed as head coach a month later, but while finding a replacement for Thibs, the Knicks were also making big moves in free agency.
They signed Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele for team-friendly deals as soon as free agency opened.
Yabusele was not too happy with what the Philadelphia 76ers‘ offer and decided to move to the Knicks, but it seems there was a reason the team offered him less money.
In what was a season of disappointment for the 76ers, Yabusele and Quentin Grimes were the bright spots for them.
They stepped up when the Big 3 were out and helped the team significantly.
However, it was always going to be tough to bring both of them back due to the cap restrictions the 76ers had.
While Yabusele was allowed to leave, the 76ers are yet to reach a final agreement with Grimes on a deal.
Stein Line revealed that the 76ers’ move to low-ball Yabusele was because of their liking of Grimes.
The report read: “The expectation persists that the sides will ultimately hash out no less than a three-year deal.
“It’s a notion reinforced by the fact that the Sixers have already lost popular forward Guerschon Yabusele to New York in free agency, having made only modest offers to Yabusele to maintain maximum flexibility to re-sign Grimes and avoid hard-capping themselves at the second apron.
“Yabusele wound up generating two-year, $12 million offers from New York and Denver and chose to sign with the Knicks. Hard to imagine Philadelphia not finding a way to re-sign Grimes after Yabusele’s departure.”
The 76ers have been in the headlines due to injuries to their star players, with return dates for Paul George and Joel Embiid still in question.
This means they will need their other players to deliver if they want to achieve any success next season.
Grimes put up big numbers for the 76ers when George and Embiid were both out, which is something the franchise will need going forward as well.
Tyrese Maxey will certainly be the star, but he will need help from Grimes and possibly VJ Edgecombe, who has already impressed coach Nick Nurse.
Grimes’ ability to shoot threes and contribute defensively will give the 76ers a big boost next season. His career started off not so well in New York, but he worked hard on his game and has now become a brilliant NBA player.
