Head coach David Fizdale is confident in what the New York Knicks can sell free agents this summer.
The New York Knicks will embark on a game-changing offseason, with the 2019 NBA Draft and free agency ahead. After such a disastrous regular season, they can look nowhere but up and preach confidence, right?
Confidence might not translate into anything, but head coach David Fizdale is confident in what the Knicks can do this summer, nonetheless. On ESPN’s The Jump (h/t Bleacher Report), Fizdale listed off what is part of the package to tempt free agents in July:
"“[We’re having] a lot of conversations, a lot of angles that we’re trying to make sure that we show guys when they come in. I think we’ve got a lot of positive things to show. Scott Perry and Steve Mills have done a heck of a job laying this thing out. We’ve got the most cap space. We have seven picks over five years, which means whoever we do get, we can continue to build around them, and I think that’s a great position to be in. We did all that in a course of a year and we laid down our culture, so I’m really excited about where we’re at.”"
The Knicks are in a better, unique position than previous years. Owning more draft picks is rare, and this cap space only compares to what they had in 2010, when Amar’e Stoudemire signed a four-year deal for a maximum salary.
Plus, as Fizdale noted, Steve Mills and Scott Perry created this situation. The Kristaps Porzingis trade stretched the cap space to $70 million and brought the two future first-round picks to New York. Draft choices usually leave the Big Apple, rather than the other way around.
These are intriguing selling points for Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker, Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler, including the ability to have “their own” team. Is it enough, though?
The Knicks were 17-65 in 2018-19, which tied a franchise mark for the worst record. The past 20 years of history have not boded well for them, either, without a playoff appearance since 2013 and just one 50-win season since 1999-00. Along with a carousel of head coaches and players to suit up, there has been anything but consistency.
If Fizdale and the Knicks can overcome this for some of the NBA’s top players, they may be on to something with this franchise re-development.
Players were already linked to the team, including Durant and Irving, so the selling process might not need much … selling. The Knicks might already have enough to lure players into their 2019-20 plans and beyond and eye a playoff appearance by next spring. If so, brighter times are ahead for a franchise without many of them, and it can only revive New York Knicks basketball.