When the Knicks acquired DeAndre Jordan two months ago as part of the seven-player trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas, the veteran center appeared to be destined for the buyout market along with Enes Kanter and Wesley Matthews.
However, the Knicks had other plans for Jordan, keeping him in the mix despite cutting back his role. With Jordan out of the lineup the last few games, Steve Popper of Newsday lauds the 30-year-old for accepting his new role without complaint.
“This is very strange for me,” Jordan said. “I’ve never done this before … At the same time, I know the development of these guys is very important. That’s something that I’m down for.
“We had a few conversations,” Jordan said of head coach David Fizdale. “There was definitely some back-and-forth. He knows how much I love to play and how much I want to compete. Overall, we came to the decision together. Everybody thought it was best for the young guys to, like I keep saying, see these guys play and play in bulk minutes.”
Jordan will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, and while the Knicks will have the cap flexibility to bring him back, their pursuit of elite free agents may compromise their ability to do so.
Here’s more out of New York:
- While Knicks fans are hopeful of landing a draft pick that gives the team a chance at a player like Zion Williamson or Ja Morant, the odds favor that pick falling to No. 4 or 5 instead. In that scenario, a player like Texas Tech’s Jarrett Culver could intrigue the franchise. Marc Berman of The New York Post takes an extended look at Culver, who remains alive in the Final Four and was scouted by the Knicks’ brass earlier in the NCAA tournament.
- Dennis Smith Jr. may not play again for the Knicks this season, Berman writes in a separate story for The New York Post. Smith recently re-aggravated a back issue and is uncertain if he’ll be able to return for any of the club’s final four games.
- While it’s certainly a positive that the Knicks will enter the offseason armed with cap room, there’s no guarantee that the front office will use that space wisely, Sean Deveney of Sporting News writes in his preview of New York’s offseason.
You take Cam Reddish or RJ Barrett whomever is at 4 or 5. Don’t mess around.
I would not hesitate to take Barrett at pick 2 or 3, but think Reddish I severely overrated and would be better served to stay a Duke for another year and maybe be THE Guy there next year. He did not impress this year much at all!
Wouldn’t the odds favor the Knicks to get the # 1 pick if they finish with the worst record? I understand the draft lottery rules changed this year but who would have better odds if they finish dead last?
Changed the wording to make it clearer, but my point was that even as the NBA’s worst team, the Knicks have a better chance of having their pick fall to 4 or 5 (59.9%) than getting a top-3 pick (40.1%) under the new lottery format.
Although you changed the wording, the Knicks have the best draft position of all teams – only two others have the same percentage chance of receiving the top pick while the Knicks are the only team guaranteed a top 5 pick. The angle you took makes it seem there’s no value having the worst record over anyone else.
Fair enough. I was just trying to provide come context for why the Knicks would be extensively scouting a non-top-three prospect like Culver despite being the NBA’s worst team (I think it’s been a bit undersold that even the league’s worst team has a better chance of landing at No. 5 than in the top three).
Nobody has better odds. They’re just not as good of odds as people think. I shudder to think of all the journalists covering the draft exclaiming about the upsets. Its not an upset that there will be upsets.
Knicks will have just a 14% chance at #1 pick!
Deandre Hunter, F UVA plays great D too, plays Sat.night too, and has a next-level look. The Knicks, staking bigger prey, will probably lose Vonleh, whose availability is often noted around the NBA. This will move Knox to the 4 for their best lineup, while keeping their guards DSJ, Dotson, Trier & N’kina, likely as well as FAs Allen & Mudiay with minimal effort.
Hunter will be a better fit than a guard and should not have a problem with NYC. Culver is a homebody son of a peacher, just sayin’.
Nobody has better draft odds than the Knicks, but as of 2019 that does not count for much. People will be surprised.