10 Biggest offseason blunders in New York Knicks history
By Tyler Watts
8. Failing to land a star in 2019
The Knicks had enough cap space to sign two max contract players in the summer of 2019 with a bit of maneuver, and New York believed it was serious in a loaded class that featured Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler, and Kemba Walker. Their front office thought the changed culture and top-three draft pick would help sway a big name to the Big Apple.
Instead, Durant and Kyrie teamed up in Brooklyn where they selected a young Nets roster that just reached the playoffs without a superstar over the Knicks. Kawhi went home to LA to team up with Paul George on the Clippers. Jimmy Buckets was sent to Miami in a sign-and-trade, and Kemba Walker replaced Irving as the Celtics’ starting point guard.
It left the Knicks shopping in the second tier of free agents, and their massive cap space turned into Julius Randle and overpaying for role players. New York signed Bobby Portis, Taj Gibson, Wayne Ellington, Elfrid Payton, Marcus Morris, and Reggie Bullock to round out their roster, and the ultimate result was the Knicks missing the playoffs for the seventh consecutive year.
The New York Knicks again had a prime opportunity to remake their franchise, and they walked away with a slew of role players on short-term deals and Julius Randle, who has transformed into a two-time All-Star in the Big Apple. It was not the worst haul but did not result in postseason success either.