Feature Knicks should pursue Russell in lieu of Irving by Chris Passarelli June 19, 2019 Rumors over the past few weeks have heated up about the Brooklyn Nets and Kyrie Irving. If that’s the case and Irving is going to sign with Brooklyn, the Knicks should pursue Brooklyn’s own young star guard, D’Angelo Russell. It’s not to say that the Nets can’t re-sign Russell and sign Irving, but it’s highly unlikely considering they play similar games and Irving has become one of the top free agent targets. If the Nets are willing to cast aside Russell for Irving, the Knicks should swoop in on D’Angelo Russell immediately. Although Russell is a Restricted Free Agent, he will have the option to sign with another team if the Nets don’t want to sign him. Russell is coming off his best career season, averaging 21.1 PPG, 7.0 APG and 3.9 RPG. Russell may not deserve it but he will most likely fetch a max contract for his career year. He’s only 23 years old and seems to have hit his stride after being taken second overall by the Lakers in 2015. Russell is four years younger than Kyrie Irving and much less injury prone based off of both their histories. The Knicks would be taking a huge risk knowing that Russell has only had one legitimate season under his belt but the risk is worth it considering his upside and youth. The Knicks may be able to get him on a discounted deal as well because of his lack of track record. The Knicks would take a gamble either way with Russell or Irving, and given how they’ve been burned before by an injury plagued star (Am’are Stoudemire) they should err on the side of caution. D’Angelo Russell could be the superstar the Knicks need. He’s young, talented and ready to prove the basketball world wrong once again. The Knicks have a lot of decisions to make this offseason and their future hangs in the balance of this season. If they decide not to pursue Irving, Durant or Russell they can roll over their leftover cap to 2020. It’ll be an interesting offseason for New York and they could get off to a good start with a value signing of D’Angelo Russell. Post Views: 1,102 The following two tabs change content below.BioLatest Posts Chris Passarelli Football Editor - Hockey Editor - New York Islanders Lead Writer - New York Lizards Lead Writer - UConn Football Lead Writer Latest posts by Chris Passarelli (see all) NFL Network to Premiere ‘The Top 100 Players of 2020’ on July 26 - July 22, 2020 The ‘Toilet Bowl’ may be coming to Western New York - July 16, 2020 Bigger is Better; SoFi Stadium Completes Largest Videoboard in Sports - July 1, 2020 Smoltz, Vrabel and Brown talk American Century Championship and Everything in Between - June 30, 2020 Related TopicsBrooklyn NetsD'Angelo RussellKevin DurantKyrie IrvingNew York Knicks Click to comment You must be logged in to post a comment Login Leave a Reply Cancel replyYou must be logged in to post a comment. Newsletter Subscription Can't Miss Posts! Women in Sports: NHL Network Host, Jackie Redmond by Nicholas Durst | posted on March 4, 2019 Women in Sports: Ariel Epstein, On-Air Host at SportsGrid (VIDEO) by Anthony Paradiso | posted on March 12, 2021 A Conversation with Nancy Newman: “We Are All a Yankee Family” by Elizabeth DiPietro | posted on July 27, 2020 Women in Sports: Podcast Host, New York Riptide Sideline Reporter, Dani Wexelman by Luke Porco | posted on March 3, 2020 Fighting Words: Bellator is Giving Hardy the Credit She Deserves by Kristine Haugsjaa | posted on October 20, 2017 More in Feature You Know I’m Right, Episode 113: New York Post Columnist Phil Mushnick (Audio/Video) On the 113th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 112: New York Jets’ Insider Brian Costello (Audio/Video) On the 112th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 111: New York Giants’ Insider John Schmeelk (Audio/Video) On the 111th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 109: The Athletic’s Marc Carig (Audio/Video) On the 109th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... Baseline Jumper, Episode 80: NBA Finals Recap and Anthony Davis Trade The Knicks And Their Options