The New York Knicks finally fired Phil Jackson on Wednesday morning after three years of a failed experiment at giving one of the NBA’s all-time greatest coaches the keys to the franchise as president of basketball operations. Jackson’s tenure in New York was full of missteps and poor decisions, but he was ultimately let go due to his issues with star Carmelo Anthony and a potential buyout.
Jackson being let go also means that the Triangle is leaving with him. Both Jackson, who had gathered a negative reputation around the league among players and agents for his handling of Anthony, and the Triangle were seen as undesirable, and now, with an important free agency period approaching, the Knicks are a somewhat more appealing location for free agents.
Just hours after Jackson’s ouster in New York, ESPN’s Ian Begley reported that there was mutual interest between the Knicks and Pacers point guard Jeff Teague. Teague is among the top point guards available on the market this summer, along with Kyle Lowry, George Hill, and Jrue Holiday, and if the Knicks are looking to move on from Derrick Rose, he could be a gettable target.
With Phil Jackson out and the triangle de-emphasized, the Knicks, under general manager Steve Mills, have interest in free agent point guard Jeff Teague, league sources told ESPN. League sources say the interest in Teague is mutual.
It’s unsurprising that Mills and the Knicks would pursue Teague. As Begley also noted, the Knicks were reportedly involved in trade talks for Teague a few times during his tenure with the Hawks. With the Pacers looking to rebuild as Paul George departs, Teague is almost assuredly going to be in need of a new squad this summer, and the Knicks, who also need a point guard, could be a fit.
The Triangle has always de-emphasized point guards, so it’s not surprising that free agent point guards would be more excited about New York as a potential destination with Jackson gone. Jeff Hornacek’s offensive system in Phoenix worked wonders, and bringing more pace and space to the Knicks’ offense rather than the slower Triangle would certainly be more appealing to point guards like Teague.
