However the same can’t be said about the class of restricted free agents available as there is a very nice crop of young players that have the ability to sign an offer sheet with a new team. That crop of players include: Jeremy Lin, Roy Hibbert, Brook Lopez, JaVale McGee, Nicolas Batum, Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon, Michael Beasley and O.J. Mayo.

Mar 7, 2012; Milwaukee, WI, USA; New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin (17) during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center. The Bulls defeated the Bucks 106-104. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

Almost all of the RFA’s available will be in for a nice hike in pay, but their current teams have the right to match any offer, so very few restricted free agents often switch teams.

But if they do, there’s a another entire crop of under-the-radar restricted free agents that could make an impact for a new team if their current team should elect not to match any offer.

While the Knicks likely won’t be a major player in free agency, here’s a look at 10 under-the-radar free agents that could make an impact in the NBA in 2013.

Aaron Brooks, Phoenix Suns

Brooks missed the 2011-12 NBA season, electing to play in China during the NBA lockout, but he is a guy who’s averaged 12.5 points and 3.6 assists per game throughout his career.

He may not be an NBA starter, but he could be an asset to add a scoring punch off of someone’s bench.

George Hill, Indiana Pacers

Hill was impressive at times during the postseason, eventually becoming the Pacers starting point guard. He’s averaged 9.8 points per game throughout his career and looked more comfortable running the Indiana offense as the season progressed.

He’s a guy that the Pacers should look to bring back, but if not he can add valuable backcourt depth to any team.

Jerryd Bayless, Toronto Raptors

Any team that needs a quality backup point guard, Bayless can solve that problem.

He’s a decent scorer, averaging 11.8 points per game on the season and takes pretty good care of the ball, which is an asset coming off the bench.

Courtney Lee, Houston Rockets

Lee averaged 11.4 points per game and is a good shooter who can get to the rim. His real asset though is as a very athletic perimeter defender.

He can defend any 2 and some of the smaller 3s in the league and is a player that coaches love.

Brandon Rush, Golden State Warriors

Apr 22, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Golden State Warriors shooting guard Brandon Rush (4) during the third quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. Warriors won 93-88. Mandatory Credit: Greg Smith-US PRESSWIRE

Rush had a nice season in Golden State, setting career highs in mostly every category.

He’s a guy that can really shoot the ball, knocking down 45 percent of his attempts from behind the arc and is also a very good defender. He will be a target for teams that need shooting off the bench.

Jason Thompson, Sacramento Kings

Thompson averaged a solid 9.1 points and 6.9 rebounds on the year and while he’s not great at any one thing, he’s decent at just about everything.

He’s a guy that doesn’t kill a team at either end of the floor and can play for extended stretches if he has to.

Marreese Speights, Memphis Grizzlies

After being acquired by Memphis, Speights had a decent season averaging 8.8 points and 6.2 rebounds and filled in nicely while Zach Randolph was injured.

He’s a decent rebounder and has a solid mid-range game. While you really don’t want him as a starter, he’s a nice option as the first big man coming off the bench.

D.J. Augustin, Charlotte Bobcats

Augustin could be a steal for some team as it really doesn’t make much sense for the Bobcats to match an offer. They need to rebuild and turning the offense over to Kemba Walker makes more sense.

The former Texas Longhorn averaged a solid 11.1 points and 6.4 assists on the season and would fit in well on a lot of NBA teams.

He’s not a good defender, but he’s quick and has become a much improved distributor.

Landry Fields, New York Knicks

May 9, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; New York Knicks guard Landry Fields (2) dunks past Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade (3) during the first half of game five in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Fields is technically a restricted free agent

Fields is eligible for the “Early Bird Exception.” As an Early Bird player, Fields can be offered a contract that starts at 175% of his current salary or anything up to the average NBA salary (which is roughly $5 million)

Other teams can still try to snatch Fields away from the Knicks, though. Both Fields and Lin are technically restricted free agents. However,  under the “Gilbert Arenas provision,” other teams are limited in what they can offer Fields and Lin. They can only offer them up to the full mid-level. So the Knicks would be able to match any offers for Fields without touching their mid-level exception.

Fields regressed a little during his second season in the Big Apple and had a miserable season shooting the ball. He dropped to 46 percent from the floor (50 percent as a rookie) and 26 percent from behind the arc (39 percent as a rookie).

Yet, he’s a guy that if he regains his touch can do a lot of things well, especially at the defensive end of the floor.

Alonzo Gee, Cleveland Cavaliers

Gee had a solid season, averaging 10.8 points and 5.1 rebounds while getting a career-high 29 minutes per game.

He was a 10-day guy early in his career, but has made strides in almost every area of his game. Gee still has a ways to go, but he’s got some talent that may be worth taking a shot on.

Who replaces Shumpert in the short-term?

On Draft Night 2011, there were very few New York Knicks fans overjoyed by the first round selection of Georgia Tech combo-guard Iman Shumpert. A lot of people, myself included, believed there was better talent still on the board in that situation.

Funny things tend to happen over time, and Iman Shumpert not only became a fan favorite for his style of play and bravado, but he began to grow into one of the league’s best shutdown defenders along the wing. Now, however, the team will likely be without Shumpert until the All-Star weekend, if not longer, after he blew out his ACL during Game 1 in Miami.

Needless to say, with the increased emphasis the Knicks have put on defensive pressure, his absence is going to be felt. It leaves the team with a massive crater not only on their bench, but possibily in their starting line-up, and drastically undermanned against high-powered teams like the Miami Heat or Boston Celtics.

So, how do the Knicks go about replacing Iman Shumpert?

First, we as Knicks fans need to consider the type of financial opportunities that are present for the Knicks on the open market. Right now, the Knicks have their full Mid-Level Exception in play, with the status of that being up in the air depending on the Bird Rights rulings in the cases of Jeremy Lin and Steve Novak. Second, one needs to consider who will already be on the Knicks roster moving forward. No doubt Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler will be here. Same can be said about Amar’e Stoudemire. Landry Fields is a restricted free agent who will likely be brought back. Lin and Novak are both likely to return (at least that’s what the team is saying publicly). Josh Harrelson and Jerome Jordan are both under contract and also likely to remain Knicks. Toney Douglas is under contract, but his stay is a little more tenuous. That’s nine players ranging from probable to most likely being Knicks, leaving space for three more active players and six roster spots total.

The Knicks would probably like to bring back Jared Jeffries, being able to provide strong defense from the bench, and he, like anyone else, will cost money. J.R. Smith holds a player option going into next season, but its anyone’s guess as to what he’s really thinking, and if he declines the option, he could probably command more money on the open market. All this being said, let’s forecast the Knicks having a full Mid-Level in play to sign either a starting two-guard or back-up (depending on your evaluation of Landry Fields, that’s what the Knicks will be looking for).

Unlike the point guard market, the names that flood the field for potential fillers at the two-guard are vast. If the Knicks wanted to bring in a veteran defensive force, both Delonte West and DeShawn Stevenson will be available this season. Randy Foye is another name to watch as well, having finished strong with the Clippers towards the end of last season. Atlanta Hawks unrestriced free agent Willie Green could provide the most offense in short spurts out of the bunch, but he is more or less a J.R. Smith-lite. If New York wanted to be really adventurous and take a risk, restricted free agent Courtney Lee could be a very intriguing option, especially at the Mid-Level price range. Names like Marco Belinelli, Carlos Delfino, Nick Young and Leandro Barbosa will be out there, too, but may fall out of the Knicks price range or future plans.

Personally, I’m a believer in Courtney Lee, but he might be just out of the Knicks reach in terms of dollars and cents. He’s a guy that can be deadly from long range and play an aggressive defense, averaging over a steal per game in his career. Next for me on the list would probably be either Barbosa or DeShawn Stevenson, depending on what need I’m trying to fill. This is just my opinion, but I think someone could talk Leandro Barbosa into a one or two-year contract at the Mid-Level price to play for a contender like the Knicks in a starting role. He could thrive playing third fiddle to Anthony and Stoudemire, and has the experience of playing with Amar’e before. As for Stevenson, he’d be my choice if the team wanted to move forward with Fields starting and waiting on Shumpert to get healthy. He won a ring with the Mavericks last year and has a history of being a thorn in LeBron’s side. He had a miserable year in New Jersey last year, but he won’t command much financially and would be a low-risk, high-reward type play.

Missing Shumpert is a blow to the Knicks next season, but it isn’t crippling. There will be options moving forward in the 2012-13 season, and I’m interested to see the direction the front office chooses to go in.

After playing alongside James Posey and Peja Stojakovic, Chris Paul will be happy to have a forward in Trevor Ariza who can actually still dunk. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

In a four-team, five-player trade, the New Orleans Hornets will be acquiring Trevor Ariza from the Houston Rockets in an attempt to prove to their star Chris Paul that they’re committed to winning.  In return, they’re giving away last year’s promising rookie point guard, Darren Collison, who will land with the Desperately-Seeking-Point-Guard Indiana Pacers.  The Pacers also will have to take on the contract of James Posey.  Indiana in turn will send Troy Murphy and his expiring $12 million contract to the New Jersey Nets.  Finally, the Nets pass along second year shooting guard Courtney Lee to the Rockets.  How did each team fare?  Well…

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Double-Double Machine

Adding Nate Robinson the starting lineup was odd, and we can only hope it ends after tonight. Even with Nate’s 15 points he was erratic and just doesn’t fit the starting role. Nate is a great role player, but having him the in the starting lineup won’t work long term.

Gallinari shot a little better tonight and added 10 points. Out of our two 1st round draft picks, Douglas has out performed Hill in their time on the court. Douglas has great ball handling skills and I really liked how good he is spacing the floor. Hill is still learning and going through some growing pains on the offensive end. Hill has great post moves, but still isn’t comfortable in the post it seems.

Overall, a solid effort and from the Nets side I really liked what I saw from Courtney Lee and Terrence Williams, both will be huge pieces in their future.

And to add some more spice to my game updates I’m going to add my personal player of the game.

Tonight that award goes to David Lee on continuing his dominance in the paint. Keep it up David.

Sunday, the Knicks are back at MSG and go up against the Israeli Tel Aviv basketball club on Sunday at 1:00 on MSG.