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New York Knicks: Eight predictions for the 2018-19 season

By Rob Wolkenbrod

New York Knicks Frank Ntilikina Kristaps Porzingis Tim Hardaway Jr. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
New York Knicks Frank Ntilikina Kristaps Porzingis Tim Hardaway Jr. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 3: Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks looks on during the game against the Washington Wizards on January 3, 2018 at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 3: Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks looks on during the game against the Washington Wizards on January 3, 2018 at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The New York Knicks will soon enter the 2018-19 season. What could unfold over the 82-game schedule?

With Monday’s media day, the New York Knicks started the 2018-19 campaign with media conversations and followed with the start of training camp. It’s all preparation for the regular season, which kicks off against the Atlanta Hawks on Oct. 17.

With each year comes new predictions for how teams, or players specifically, will perform. Whether it’s potential improvement, decline or the development of an event, the possibilities swirl.

For the Knicks, with a new head coach and a handful of roster additions, what could transpire through the 82-game schedule? Which players will emerge? Could a landmark moment in franchise history follow through? With that said, let’s lay out predictions for 2018-19:

8. Knicks choose to wait on Kristaps Porzingis extension

The New York Knicks briefly addressed Kristaps Porzingis’ contract situation at last week’s press conference, and avoided comment on what the plan was. He can receive a five-year, $157 million deal.

If the Knicks sign Porzingis now, it removes flexibility from their 2019 cap space, when marquee free agents like Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson and Kawhi Leonard will be available. So it makes sense for them to wait until the Latvian forward reaches restricted free agency and re-sign him from there.

July 2019 may redefine New York’s look for the next four or five years, especially with the potential caliber of players available. They can take the team to the postseason for the first time since 2013, but to acquire the aforementioned names, cap space is necessary.

Porzingis will require an average annual salary of over $30 million per year (though it may not work out evenly), and that would consume a majority of the team’s open money. So waiting is the ideal option, but will it be the choice?

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