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Knicks Trade Rumors: Pros and cons of tanking after 2018 trade deadline

By Maxwell Ogden

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 30: Frank Ntilikina #11 and Enes Kanter #00 of the New York Knicks high five during the game against the Brooklyn Nets on January 30, 2018 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 30: Frank Ntilikina #11 and Enes Kanter #00 of the New York Knicks high five during the game against the Brooklyn Nets on January 30, 2018 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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BOSTON, MA – JANUARY 5: Kyrie Irving #11 and Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics exchange high fives during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 5, 2018 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – JANUARY 5: Kyrie Irving #11 and Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics exchange high fives during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 5, 2018 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Pro: Keeping The Pace

The New York Knicks have a 22-year-old All-Star in Kristaps Porzingis and a 19-year-old point guard who’s already a high-quality on-ball defender in Frank Ntilikina. New York also has a pair of productive offensive players at age 25 in Tim Hardaway Jr. and Enes Kanter.

The concerning reality for the Knicks, however, is that they’re currently attempting to keep up in an Atlantic Division that could soon dominate the NBA.

The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers utilized entirely different strategies to get to where they are, but both look like long-term championship contenders. Boston managed to acquire first-round draft picks while contending, and Philadelphia went into all-out tank mode.

The end result has been both teams piecing together rosters that have the long-term potential to be the best in the NBA.

Boston is led by 25-year-old All-Star mainstay Kyrie Irving, 21-year-old breakout wing Jaylen Brown, and 19-year-old rookie phenom Jayson Tatum. Philadelphia, meanwhile, features 23-year-old All-Star Joel Embiid and two No. 1 overall draft picks: Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz.

Considering either Boston or Philadelphia will also end up with the Los Angeles Lakers’ lottery-bound draft pick in 2018, tanking may be the best possible option for the Knicks.

Porzingis, Ntilikina, and Hardaway could form a dynamic core, but Boston and Philadelphia are either matching New York step-for-step or one lengthy stride ahead.

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