New York Knicks: The Complete 2021 Offseason Review

Managing The Knicks’ Expectations

The consciences of the Knicks offseason is that it has been underwhelming. The Kemba Walker signing is viewed as a nice surprise, but not one that elevates the team to contender status. Even some pro-Knick media outlets and fellow content creators rated the Knicks’ offseason as a 6 out 10.

Well, I am here to tell you that is way off. Let me explain why.

First things first, people need to level-set expectations. There were no moves that the Knicks could have made to acquire a star(s). This free agency class did not have any true superstars. Kawhi Leonard is a free agent, but he will miss next season with a torn ACL and isn’t expected to change teams, just renegotiate his deal.

As for trades, the two stars that have been talked about switching teams, Damian Lillard and Bradley Beal haven’t requested a trade and their franchises don’t want to trade them. Even if there was a star made available for trade the Knicks didn’t have the assets to make a deal. The highest pick New York possessed was their own, 19th overall, which is not getting you a star.

So the real objective of the offseason was to improve the team for next season without sacrificing the future. The Knicks accomplished that by making nice under-the-radar moves. Just because a move isn’t splashy doesn’t mean it isn’t good. Let’s start by reviewing the draft.