Fresh off of their first championship in 53 years, the Knicks entered the offseason with four rotation players eligible for free agency and retained three of them.
Landry Shamet, Jose Alvarado and Jordan Clarkson all reached deals to return, meaning that of the 11 players who averaged the most minutes per game for last season’s Knicks, 10 are back this year.
That’s enviable continuity for an NBA champion, especially in today’s era of restrictive payroll aprons that make maintaining rosters much more difficult.
But it also created a somewhat unique situation. Veteran center Andre Drummond was the only notable outside free agent to sign with the Knicks during the first wave of the offseason, making him the main newcomer in a core otherwise brimming with chemistry.
“This is the first time I’m the only new guy to a team, so it feels kind of weird. Like, an outcast trying to fit in,” Drummond, 33, acknowledged at training camp.
“But the guys are very welcoming,” he said. “They made me feel very welcome to be here.”
The Knicks needed another center because game-wrecking backup Mitchell Robinson — a top rim protector and offensive rebounder — left for a three-year, $47.4 million contract with the rival Boston Celtics.
Robinson’s departure was the result of the Knicks’ mandate to remain below the second apron luxury-tax threshold of $222 million. Had their payroll exceeded it, they would have faced significant roster-building limitations.
So the Knicks instead signed Drummond to a one-year, $3.9 million contract — the veteran’s minimum — with the hope that his 6-11 frame and 14 years of NBA experience can help lessen the blow of losing Robinson.
“We’re not expecting Andre to come in and be Mitch or impact the game in a lot of different ways that Mitch did,” head coach Mike Brown said. “Just be yourself, but everyone else has to step up and box out a little harder. All those things will make us a top-level team.”
Drummond hails from Mount Vernon, N.Y., and grew up a Knicks fan. He’s no longer the player who earned All-Star selections in 2016 and 2018 or that led the NBA in rebounding four times from 2015-20, but the Knicks aren’t asking him to be.
So how are the tight-knit Knicks making Drummond — who averaged 6.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game with the Philadelphia 76ers last season — feel comfortable?
It started with Knicks captain Jalen Brunson inviting Drummond to his 30th birthday party over the summer.
“I’ve known him from afar,” Brunson said. “It’s always been mutual — like, hi and bye — and I always respect [him]. That was the first time we really got to sit down and have a conversation. It was kind of like an icebreaker-type thing and also welcoming him to the team.”
No such introduction is needed for the rest of the Knicks’ bench.
Shamet returned on a four-year, $24 million contract. Alvarado re-signed on a three-year, $14 million deal. Clarkson is back on the veteran’s minimum.
All three — and especially Shament and the Brooklyn-born Alvarado — likely could have commanded more money on the open market, had chasing the last dollar been their top priority.
To them, defending their title was more important.
“We want to win for each other,” Shamet said. “We’re willing to take on different roles and know that we’ve got each other’s back. If Jose’s got it going and my minutes are shortened, awesome, and vice versa.”
Shamet continued, “I’ve been … a broken record about it, but you don’t see that. From a backup guard position, that’s very rare, where no ego or ulterior motives get involved. That’s something special that you want to be a part of.”
For the Knicks to become the NBA’s first repeat champions since 2017-18, they’ll likely need all three of them — and Drummond, too.
“We compete,” Alvarado said of the Knicks’ deep backup backcourt. “We want to get each other better. In order to win, we need everybody on the same page, and we know that.”