The New York Knicks have made a number of solid moves this offseason to strengthen the roster for Carmelo Anthony and company and now that Tyrus Thomas has been released by the Charlotte Bobcats after they signed Al Jefferson, the team has set their sights on him.
Thomas was waived using the amnesty clause after the Bobcats signed Al Jefferson and chased Monta Ellis and now he is one of the more coveted free agents on the market. Thomas had an $8,694,215 salary heading into the season and once he clears waivers he will be an unrestricted free agent and can sign with anyone, including the Knicks. The NY Daily News is reporting that the interested in Thomas and they could add a player that is athletic and still developing despite playing in the league a number of years.
The Knicks already brought back Pablo Prigioni and JR Smith and now they could add Thomas to provide some depth on the bench behind Tyson Chandler and Amare Stoudemire. Thomas has a very solid and athletic build and even though his production was low at 5.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game last season, he still could offer some important minutes for the team and he would be another name on the bench for the team as they try to make a championship run.
The Bobcats had no choice but to let him go and now the Knicks could try and benefit from that move, although other teams will be chasing Thomas as well. Lamar Odom, Elton Brand, Nate Robinson and Kenyon Martin are other free agent names that the team could go after, although Odom has gotten interest from his old team in the Lakers. The Clippers are chasing him as well as Elton Brand is still considered a solid option for the team if they can get him to sign.
General manager Glen Grunwald has spent the offseason trying to improve the team after the Knicks won 50 games and if Thomas joins New York, he will go from a team that won 28 games over the past two seasons to one that won over 50 just last year. Another interesting option for some scoring could be Nate Robinson, although the Knicks may not want to bring him back to New York. Robinson had a solid season with the Bulls and stepped up big time in the playoffs, but so far the interest on him has been small and that could leave the Knicks to sign him on a cheap contract. The team still has moves to make and they could work on adding some solid depth to the roster for Anthony and company.
