Kyle O'Quinn opts out of Knicks contract
By Dan FeldmanJun 20, 2018, 9:52 PM EDT
AP Photo/Tony Dejak
The Knicks have the No. 9 pick, and tomorrow's draft will be the most important part of their offseason.
Will they also have cap space to add talent in free agency? That hinges on Enes Kanter's player option.
If Kanter opts out, New York will have even more room to operate thanks to Kyle O'Quinn declining his $4,256,250 player option.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
New York Knicks center Kyle O'Quinn has declined his $4.2M option for the 2018-19 season to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, league sources told ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 21, 2018
The Knicks expected this for a while, and they're probably not disappointed. Steve Mills and Scott Perry want to put their stamp on the franchise. O'Quinn is a leftover from the Phil Jackson era and a reminder of the recent tumult in New York.
O'Quinn's combination of block percentage (6.1) and defensive-rebounding percentage (27.8) was unmatched last season. He just really struck a nice balance between contesting shots and remaining in position on the glass. He's also a smooth mid-range shooter with an improved ability to distribute.
How much is that player worth?
It'll be a tight market, especially for bigs. For his sake, I hope the 28-year-old O'Quinn already has assurances from other teams. He might get a similar salary or, more likely, a larger overall guarantee on a multi-year deal. But it's also possible he comes out behind by testing free agency.