The New York Knicks do not appear to be a prime team to follow with regard to 2018 NBA free agency, in part because star big man Kristaps Porzingis continues to recover from knee surgery that will cost him at least a portion of the 2018-19 campaign. The Knicks, however, appear to have big plans for the summer of 2019 and team president Steve Mills shared some of them on Thursday.
During a sit-down with The Stephen A. Smith Show on ESPN Radio (h/t Ian Begley of ESPN), Mills acknowledged that the Knicks have “worked really hard in rebuilding the relationship” with Porzingis and that the team and star player are in regular communication during Porzingis’ injury rehab. However, the headliner for the conversation came when discussing big plans for next summer, when Porzingis presumably returns to full health and the Knicks have significant salary cap flexibility.
“Our goal is to get our house in order,” Mills said during the interview. “Develop the foundation. And we are not going to be players [in free agency] this year. If we sign guys it’s going to be for a one-year deal because we are going to have room for a max contract in the following year. We’ll be able to make room for a max guy.”
Beyond that, Mills noted that the team aims “to put (itself) in a position where stars are going to want to come” to New York and he sees Porzingis as the centerpiece of the entire endeavor. “Guys want to be a part of a winning culture,” Mills stated. “They want to be a part of a group of guys they want to play with. Porzingis is a magnet. He’s the reason why everyone interviewing for coaching jobs this year wanted this job.”
It remains to be seen what Porzingis looks like after the ACL tear he suffered last season but, in short, the 22-year-old big man is a prime asset for the future. The Knicks are committed to big contracts for Joakim Noah, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Courtney Lee through the 2019-2020 season but, unless New York elects to extend Porzingis this summer, there will be enough flexibility to take a big swing, particularly when cap holds for Enes Kanter, Ron Baker, Lance Thomas and others are removed.
Knicks fans undoubtedly remember multiple occasions in which big free agent plans failed and that is certainly a possibility this time around. New York’s brass seems optimistic for 2019, though, and it certainly helps to have a player of Porzingis’ caliber already on board.
