Kelly Oubre Jr. hasn’t had as good of a year with the Golden State Warriors this season as he did with the Phoenix Suns during the 2019-20 season. However, he is still a talented player who has previously shown the ability to be a supplementary scorer on the offensive end, while taking on tough assignments on the defensive end. He will be a free agent this offseason, and he will definitely receive interest.
One of the teams rumored to target Oubre would be the New York Knicks. The New York Knicks will have a lot of cap space come free agency, and they could potentially add some new faces to the roster. Marc Berman of the New York Post has recently reported that Oubre and the Knicks have “mutual interest”.
According to one source, there is mutual interest between Oubre and the Knicks. The Knicks are one of the few teams who can offer him more than the $9.5 million mid-level exception. Oubre was drafted by the Wizards in 2015 at No. 15 and was traded to Phoenix, where he scored 29 points with three steals against the Knicks in a January 2020 game.
The Knicks need more 3-point shooting/athleticism at that position. While RJ Barrett showed progress from deep, he’s still not as good a finisher at the rim as he should be, according to analytics percentages. Scouts believe he doesn’t protect the ball enough.
Oubre hasn’t reached his ceiling, and some scouts think being on three teams in five seasons hurt his growth.
There is no question that Kelly Oubre Jr. can be a valuable contributor on a team, and perhaps that team could be the Knicks. Coach Tom Thibodeau has coached two-way wings like Luol Deng before, and perhaps he can be the right coach to get the most out of Oubre’s athleticism and talent.
