Entering this summer, the Knicks are expected to be major players for some of the top free agents. Among the names the franchise is expected to pursue are Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
In a letter to season ticket holders, general manager Scott Perry and team president Steve Mills cited February’s Kristaps Porzingis trade — which netted the team Dennis Smith Jr., DeAndre Jordan two first round picks — and cap space as reasons for confidence this summer, per Marc Berman of The New York Post. The 279-word letter is the first public acknowledgment from brass on the two max slots the team wields in an offseason with several viable candidates to fill them.
“We have created a tremendous amount of financial flexibility, which has put us in a position to potentially sign up to two max free agents,’’ the letter states. “We will continue to focus on the draft in an attempt to replicate the type of players we added last summer. Most importantly, we will use our cap space diligently and only on players who believe in our plan and are committed to building the New York Knicks into the championship team that you deserve.”
This letter is not the first public vote of confidence from a high-ranking team official in recent months. During a wide-ranging interview last month, team owner James Dolan said the team is set up to do well in free agency.
“Yes, I do think that. I think we offer a pretty good situation for [to acquire free agents]. One is a lot of them love New York, a bunch of them live in New York in the offseason,” Dolan said. “They know the team, they know [head coach David Fizdale] really well, they know [Mills] and [Perry]. Players want to go to a winner and they want to get paid. We’re definitely going to pay them. We think with them combined and the kids we’ve got today, we can build a winning team.”
Just for my personal knowledge, did someone go through and count all the words in the letter?
They probably just copied and pasted the article into something that counts words
Technology blows my mind!
Microsoft Office had a function where you could count the number of words in any text. But I haven’t done office work in many years. Don’t know if it’s still there.
As a Knicks fan I am excited for this offseason, the season can’t come to an end quickly enough. I give Mills and Perry a lot of credit for putting the Knicks in this position. Knox has been a bit of a disappointment, but Robinson and Trier have been diamond in the rough finds. The Zinger trade was a great deal as I don’t see him as a guy with the right attitude or health to be a star that you build around.
That said, I almost want to see them strikeout in FA, it could be the thing that finally gets Dolan to sell the team. I guess though that if two max level guys like Durant and Irving come, they must not be as concerned about Dolan as I am.
Dolan seems like he is ready (and has been for awhile) to let someone else take control so if he can give Durant’s agent control in exchange for getting KD, Irving and possibly AD in here this summer I’m OK with it.
A new owner guarantees nothing.
As long as they have sellout crowds and good tv ratings why sell? They’re almost too big to fail…..
How is there situation any different than the Lakers? Both franchises are former top destinations who have made poor and desperate player decisions and are now “expecting” to have the same allure to Free Agents based on the success of their past. It’s laughable.
I know its Their, not There
LeBron is why it’s different, and not in a good way for the Lakers. Guys are rebuffing the opportunity to play with James. They also only have single Max cap space, whereas with the Knicks having two Max slots, two guys that want to play together can do so.
Exactly, whoever goes to the Knicks can build a team with its own identity. Nobody wants to be LeBron’s #2.
Is it better to be Durant’s #2? Irving’s?
I’m thinking Durant and Irving want to be each other’s #2 lol.
Unfortunately teams like the Clippers and Nets who will win the top free agents. Why would anyone come to a team with 14 wins
Dolan hasn’t been active in running the Knicks since turning the keys over to Jackson. His interests are principally with MSG’s other assets. He’s remained a boogie man to Knick fans, largely due to the media’s infatuation with him.
Dolan is a boob, but even when he was more involved, he was never a negative factor in recruiting elite FAs (we never had the cap space to recruit elite FAs, except in 2010, and we didn’t miss on LBJ due to Dolan). Elite players only care about one thing where ownership is concerned. Whether it’s willing to spend $$ (and, in this era, that means go into luxury tax if need be). It’s the one thing Dolan does well.
Elite FAs will care about management though, and its hard to believe that any elite FA can have faith in Mills-Perry to put a championship roster around them, or in Fizdale as a HC. If they do, it’s blind faith, because the only track record any of them have in anything close to their current roles is bad (real bad actually). It’s why I think it’s 2 max guys or none. But they have to be real max players (and there are only 3) or they’ll have a ceiling well short of the Finals, and for some time.
Having all that cap space is great, IF any of the top free agents want to come to the Knicks! None have in the past though.
Let’s not forget Melo, in his prime, demanded a trade to them.
Draft Zion, Ja, RJ, or Cam. Miss out on all the premier FAs, sign a bunch of guys to easily tradeable contracts. Trade them all at the deadline and acquire more future 1sts. Try again the year after.