The Knicks face a big offseason after a tumultuous season, but with significantly less financial flexibility than in previous years. How can the Knicks stretch their dollars and create a complementary roster?

I don’t write “Here’s what the Knicks should do this offseason” pieces. There are always so many considerations we on the outside know nothing about that it feels pointless to project a plan. Also I don’t often feel up to learning things like how the non-taxpayer mid-level exception applies to the collective bargaining agreement’s latest luxury tax apron. I’m a sportswriter by way of being a fan and nobody pays me a living wage. I write (and don’t) what I want (and don’t).

But the Knicks are in a kind of limbo, one that’s left me with a strange, aimless feeling as a fan. Most years when the playoffs seem a pipe dream (or in this year’s case, the play-in), the optimist in me sees every game as a positive. If the Knicks win, great; teams that grow from bad to good do so by doing precisely that – winning games. If the Knicks lose, they help their lottery odds. This season I wasn’t expecting to pay any attention to the lottery, but with the play-in slipping out of sight it appears the Knicks will send a representative to Chicago two months from now when Mark Tatum breaks our hearts with another “The ninth pick in the 2022 NBA Draft goes to… the New York Knicks!” But I don’t feel the usual optimism.

Maybe it’s ‘cuz I’m older. Things change when you’re older. Winter bothers me more than it used to. I used to take pride in withstanding the most brutal western New York winters without complaint. A few months ago it was 40 degrees and I felt the grave’s cold in my bones. So rather than sit and wait in hope that the Knicks have an offseason to feel good about it, I’m going to put together my first draft of a 2023 roster.

Quick primer: next season’s salary cap is expected to be $121 million, with the luxury tap apron (more on that in a bit) set at $147 million. The Knicks have four players with team options for next year and they’ll pick up all of them: RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Obi Toppin, and Cam Reddish. Taj Gibson has a partially-guaranteed $5 million due. Nearly $10 million is coming off the books – so long and thanks for all the fish, Joakim Noah, Wayne Selden and Solomon Hill. The Knicks should have access to the mid-level exception, a little over $10 million that can be given to one player or split between more than one.

Without further ado…

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