In February, the New York Knicks lost nine games, blowing three 20-point leads and making Stephen A. Smith question his fandom. 1:04
Two years ago, the New York Knicks hired Leon Rose as president of basketball operations.
Rose has only had one in-person news conference since then, a gathering with a small group of reporters prior to the NBA season in Westchester, New York. Rose identified three tenets that underpinned the Knicks' offseason moves.
There is stability, continuity and flexibility.
The first two tenets were based on the team's success in the 2020-21 season. Julius Randle signed a four-year, $117 million extension. After being acquired via trade, the catalyst of New York's transformation, was re-signed.
They, along with additions of Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier, were supposed to help the Knicks maintain the momentum created by finishing fourth in the Eastern Conference.
Walker was benched, then hurt his knee, then was sent home, and this season has been beset by instability. Rose has missed most of the season because of an ankle injury.
The Knicks will play the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night in a game that will be broadcasted on ESPN.
Leon Rose has one of his preseason pillars. The franchise's uncharacteristic flexibility moving forward might be the only option that can save New York's future.
In the news release announcing Leon Rose's hiring in March 2020, the same sentiment appeared twice: Rose, during his decades as a top-flight NBA agent, had represented some of the league's biggest stars.
The Knicks wanted Rose to be the next face of the franchise because he had worked with players such as former Knick Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul.
New York is not close to getting a star to compete for an NBA title.
The Knicks have done a lot of things well, and I like a lot of their young players, an Eastern Conference executive said. I don't know if they have a coherent direction.
New York is trying to accomplish two things at the same time. The signings made this summer were designed to give the Knicks more flexibility in the future.
Walker did not get a team option, so he signed a two-year deal. The two-year deal has a team option in the second season. Fournier signed a four-year deal with a team option in the fourth, while Rose, Noel, and Burks signed three-year deals with team options in the third.
They could allow the Knicks to have more than $60 million in expiring contracts for the next two seasons.
Second, unlike Knicks teams of the past, they have a lot of draft picks. New York has 20 tradeable picks over the next seven years, including controlling all of the Knicks own picks. Since 1999, the franchise has not signed one of its first-round picks to an extension.
Even after flipping a protected first-rounder for Cam Reddish earlier this season, there is still plenty of draft capital remaining to send out in a potential deal for a star.
| YEAR | PICKS |
|---|---|
| 2022 | Own |
| 2023 | Own; DAL* |
| 2024 | Own |
| 2025 | Own |
| 2026 | Own |
| 2027 | Own |
| 2028 | Own |
| * If pick falls between Nos. 11-30 |
At the same time, New York is trying to develop its young talent, including a group including Obi Toppin and Quentin Grimes. All of them have shown flashes, including the career-high 46 points by Barrett in Friday's loss to the Miami Heat.
The mix has worn some of the luster off any future package for an available star.
The Western Conference executive said that if they were going to give up picks and swaps to get someone, it would not matter who they were trading for.
The Knicks did not have a goal of being 12th in the East.
Leon Rose said in September that expectations for this season are straight forward, that they want to continue to develop their players, and that they want to get better every day.
After last season, New York fell back to earth.
Wednesday, March 2.
Knicks at 76ers, 7:30 p.m.
Trail Blazers at Suns, 10 p.m.
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