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Hopefully the Knicks have learned their lesson after perhaps the biggest free agency flop in NBA history in the summer of 2019. New York cleared the deck for Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant long before it saw even a hint. commitment by the two superstars. away from a franchise anchor in the process. We know the story from there. KD and Kyrie opted for another municipality, Kristaps Porzingis shone in Dallas and the Knicks will enter 2020-21 in a state of relative purgatory. The franchise’s next move isn’t exactly clear.
Evidence suggests the Knicks could be in line to repeat their recent failures in the summer of 2021. New York doesn’t have a single non-rookie contract on its capitalization sheet after 2020-21, and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s free agency matches. to Durant’s in anticipation. and fanfare. The failures of the James Dolan era are numerous, but only a key free agent can resurrect the franchise.
We shouldn’t attract Knicks fans with such a proposal. Antetokounmpo will have a slew of attractive suitors when his free agency hits, and each option is likely to be much more viable than the Knicks as they currently stand. So if we assume Antetokounmpo is off the scene, where can the franchise turn when Leon Rose begins his tenure as team president? There seem to be two different paths at play.
Let’s start with the simplest route Rose could take. Despite Dolan & Co.’s alleged desire to return to the playoffs sooner rather than later, playing the long game may be the wisest play. The Knicks could bottom out in 2020-21, try to raise draft capital and prepare for the 2021 draft. It’s hard to see how much value (if any) Julius Randle, Frank Ntilikina and Dennis Smith have on the open market, but it is possible that New York can land a couple of additional picks before what is supposedly a stacked class of 2021. The Knicks have lost their place as an elite free agent destination until proven otherwise. The construction of a young nucleus is still essential.
The Knicks may be out of the game for the Giannis level stars right now, but perhaps we’re still underestimating his free-agent appeal to the next class of players. New York could still make sizable offers to Victor Oladipo, Jrue Holiday or Mike Conley next offseason, and James Harden and Bradley Beal could be in next year’s class. A step toward a sustainable rebuild could make the Knicks one of the best assets in the draft in 2021, and then the free agents who accompany them that summer or in 2022. Of course, easier said than done. But it’s likely New York’s safest bet toward a possible return to containment.
However, the safest route may not be the Knicks’ preferred option heading into the offseason. Rose and Dolan could choose to avoid the youth movement in exchange for a quicker return to the postseason, which is no pipe dream in the junior-varsity conference. New York could go after free agent guards like Fred VanVleet and Evan Fournier, and there are additional options in the exchange market. The Knicks are rumored to be a possible landing spot for Chris Paul (Rose’s former client), and perhaps Conley could be acquired a year early for the right price. In theory, the Knicks could walk a tightrope in which both advance to playoff contention in 2021 and remain flexible for the following offseason. But like all off-seasons, deciding on a vision is just one piece of the puzzle. Running it is a completely different ball game.
There is no perfect formula for Rose and the Knicks as the franchise seeks to reverse two decades defined in large part by ineptitude. Sitting in his hands could lead to the No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft, and if the capitalization sheet is effectively cleared, all non-Giannis chances in free agency are on the table. However, there are more complicating factors at play. Does Tom Thibodeau want to clear completely in his first year with the organization? Will not adding a legitimate base stunt RJ Barrett’s growth? There’s more than owners’ impatience at risk if the Knicks fall to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
New York has suffered its fair share of embarrassment in the Dolan era, but the 2019 free agency debacle was the most painful chapter. Durant and Irving’s arrival at Madison Square Garden felt not only possible, but probable. Every star had become unsatisfied at their previous stop. Each wanted to play in an important market. If the Knicks were anything but a real mess, they probably would have landed in Manhattan.
Losing to Durant and Irving was a real punch. Hopefully, it can serve as a wake-up call. Dolan has empowered Rose and Thibodeau, two impressive basketball minds with a vision for sustainable team building. The brain’s new confidence deserves patience as the franchise seeks a way out of the East basement. If the Knicks play their cards right, they could compete for the conference crown in the mid-2020s.
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