10 Biggest offseason blunders in New York Knicks history

6. Making Phil Jackson president

The Knicks technically made Phil Jackson their team president in March of 2014 while the regular season was still going on, but that is how the executive offseason works in some ways. Teams have to be preparing for the draft, free agency, and trade discussions with almost no way to improve their current rosters until the season wraps.

Jackson’s five-year deal worth $60 million to run the franchise was a disaster and his tenure only lasted three years. Nearly every move made during that span blew up in the executive’s face.

From hiring Derek Fisher as head coach with zero experience to trading away most of the roster from their 54-win team in 2013, not much worked for Jackson. He wanted his team to run the triangle offense, but coaches and players were not on board. Jackson kept bringing in former players from his days with the Lakers, but none of them worked out. It was poor decision after poor decision by one of the greatest coaches in NBA history.

The Knicks won just 80 games in Jackson’s three years as team president, and there was dysfunction everywhere. The legend did draft Kristaps Porzingis, but he was also responsible for taking Frank Ntilikina over Donovan Mitchell in his final move in charge of the franchise.

Phil Jackson’s Knicks were one of the worst franchises in the league, but he was not the worst lead executive in New York’s history.