Building a contender in the NBA isn’t easy; if it were, everyone would be able to do it. There is certainly some luck involved, such as landing a franchise cornerstone in the draft courtesy of how the ping pong balls fall during the NBA Draft Lottery.
The draft gives a team a chance to build the foundation of a roster and build it up in free agency. If assets are handled correctly, they can be used to add even more draft capital, which puts you in the market for making a blockbuster trade.
The slow building process isn’t one that all fans like, but if a front office is given the time and space to operate, they can create some magic. That is what we have seen with the New York Knicks, who have finally turned things around after years of ineptitude.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Kristaps Porzingis, Leon Rose, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks Updates
For a long time, the Knicks were the laughingstock of the NBA. Quick fixes were attempted instead of building up the roster organically, leading to some embarrassingly poor seasons. The 2023-24 campaign and the three seasons prior under Tom Thibodeau is tracking to be the most successful stretch for the franchise since Jeff Van Gundy was on the sidelines at the end of the Patrick Ewing era.
New York could make the playoffs for the second straight season, the first time since 2011-2013 they will qualify in consecutive seasons. While that success was a blip in the radar, this time around, it looks like it can be sustained.
The Knicks have bonafide All-Stars in Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle. Since acquiring OG Anunoby from the Toronto Raptors, the team has gone 9-2 and look like one of the best teams in the NBA. On top of that, they have the assets to make more trades to put the finishing touches on the roster.
How have the Knicks got to this point? Virtually all of their recent success can be traced back to the decision to trade Kristaps Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks. That was rock bottom for the franchise but provided them with the tools to start making moves to improve the product on the court.
There were some truly dark, ugly times in the seasons following the Porzingis trade. Knicks fans suffered through some truly abysmal basketball with their team constantly finishing near the bottom of the standings and getting run out of gyms on a nightly basis with blowout losses.
But, they were a necessary part of the building back up of the franchise. As pointed out by TheBenchWarmer on X, formerly Twitter, the Porzingis trade is the gift that keeps on giving when it comes to the team’s improvement in recent seasons.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Kristaps Porzingis, Leon Rose, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks Updates
Without that deal with the Mavericks beginning the process, none of their recent splashes, such as signing Brunson and trading for Anunoby, would have occurred. The original cap space created by the trade provided them the money to sign Marcus Morris Sr., who was eventually traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for the pick that turned into Immanuel Quickley. Another part of the Morris trade was turned into current backup point guard Miles McBride.
The Knicks aren’t done making trades yet this season. While another blockbuster isn’t likely, they need to add a little more depth to the roster. Quentin Grimes, who landed in New York as an extension of the draft compensation in the Porzingis deal, is being shopped around the league.
A bigger blockbuster that could occur over the summer is possible because the Knicks still own one more Mavericks first-round pick. If the selection isn’t traded, New York can restock its roster with high-upside young talent selected in the draft.
While trading away Porzinigs, who was viewed as a franchise cornerstone, hurt at the time, it kickstarted things and got the team on the track they are currently following. Leon Rose and the front office preached patience when he took over and it is finally starting to bear results.
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