NBA News: Australian Patty Mills Draws Interest from the New York Knicks
Patty Mills of Australia was one of the many offensive weapons the San Antonio Spurs used during their 2014 title run. For his consistent showing both in the regular season and especially in the postseason, Mills have drawn the attention of other NBA teams as the 25-year-old Australian is set to become a free agent on July 1.
Mills averaged 10.2 points, 1.8 assists and 42.3 per cent from behind the arc in 81 regular season games for the Spurs in 2013-2014.
It was in the postseason that he impressed with a few big games including an 18-point, 8-of-17 FG output in the clinching game versus the Portland Trail Blazers in the West Finals and back-to-back big outings in Games 4 and 5 with 14 and 17 markers, respectively against the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.
The appeal of the Big Apple and a bigger role in New York may appeal to Mills, who was the primary back-up point guard to Tony Parker at San Antonio.
That role can even lead to starting job, as the Knicks have no legit starting PG with only the likes of Raymond Felton (overpaid at $4.4M next season with questions on conditioning last year) and Pablo Prigioni (a bargain at $1.6M but already 37-years-old).
With a new system in place—Phil Jackson’s dream of a triangle in NY run by new head coach Derek Fisher—Mills appears to be a good fit as well with his knack for outside shooting at the one-spot.
Mills is in the final year of his three-year contract with San Antonio getting $1.13M in 2013-2014. With a performance in the recent playoffs, he is bound to get a significant raise in this offseason.