If we offer DeAndre the mid-level ($9 mil) will he take it?
I think we keep one of DeAndre or Noah.
We won't have the MLE as we'll be under the cap, but we will have the room and BAE.
For the sake of argument, say the Knicks, sign Durant and Kyrie. There will be something like $5-6m or so in cap space, depending on where we draft and presuming we waive all of IsoZo, Ellenson and Jenkins. If we can move Lance Thomas we can create an extra million in space. Additionally, there will be the room exception ($4.5 m) and the biannual exception (a bit over $3m).
If the Knicks trade for Davis after having signed KD and Kyrie, everyone on the roster including the 2019 draft pick but not Durant and Kyrie has to go; I suppose KD and Kyrie could take tiny discounts to allow Mitch and Dotson to stay or slightly bigger ones to allow one of DSJ, Knox or Ntilikina to stay. If the Knicks want to, say, trade for Beal, they have the flexibility to keep all the young guys save for two of Knox/Ntilikina/DSJ/draft pick.
IsoZo, Ellenson and Jenkins need to be either traded by 29 June, or waived, or we're not expecting to use all of our cap space and they will be retained. I'm guessing the Knicks will roll the dice. They can always be brought back once free agency shakes out.
Two guys to whom I wouldn't get too attached: Mudiay and DSJ. If the Knicks sign either Kemba or Kyrie, they're both gone for fit reasons. If the Knicks trade for Davis, they're both gone for cap reasons. If the Knicks sign KD and some all star who isn't a point guard, likely one stays while the Knicks pursue a Pat Beverley type for the other lead guard position and either trade DSJ or let Mudiay walk. If the Knicks completely strike out in free agency, I can see both coming back, but only on deal for Mudiay that is closer to the room exception than the MLE in terms of value. Similarly, there aren't too many scenarios where Vonleh (or Hezonja, for that matter) come back next year.
The one guy you can feel free to love: Mitch Robinson. He's cheap, he doesn't need the ball, he plays a game that's friendly next to superstars. Of all the Knicks yutes, he's the most likely to be on the team in 12 months. Caveat: the Pels will fight hard to get the New Orleans native included in any Davis deal.