New York Knicks: Five potential effects of not re-signing Kristaps Porzingis
1. Lengthens the rebuild
Combine everything, and letting Porzingis walk only lengthens the New York Knicks’ rebuild.
This roster reconstruction seemingly began in 2014, the first year the Knicks missed the playoffs. They hired Phil Jackson to become president of basketball operations, and while he made changes, none of them resulted in a winning record or a postseason spot.
In 2018, the Knicks fully embraced the rebuild. They deemed it a “developmental” season, with youth taking precedence and veterans sitting back, although with the assumption of Porzingis’ eventual return.
Well, without him, the rebuild is bound to last.
How long do the Knicks build their team? It depends on the success of their 2019 draft picks and how their youth develops over the next one-to-three seasons. If they take steps forward and one of them turns into a star, maybe it accelerates.
Success in free agency helps the process, maybe as soon as the summer. If not then, a trade, but that goes against what the Knicks said before 2018-19 started.
More than likely, though, the Knicks will take incremental steps. They have young pieces that carry into 2019-20, but with over half the roster set for free agency, it’s of course unknown how it will fill out next summer and into the future.
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The New York Knicks have the inside track to re-sign Porzingis. If they let him go, the effects may settle in for years to come.