The New York Knicks have had struggled to take any significant steps forward over the last few seasons that has seen them miss the playoffs in five consecutive seasons.

Despite that, the Knicks have seemingly pushed forward with the focus directed onto the summer of 2019 where the franchise is positioned to have a plethora of salary cap space. This is something that new head coach David Fizdale has keyed in on as being the game plan for the franchise, according to Mike Vorkunov of the Athletic.

“Despite the number of rings the Knicks have, the history and the fanbase and the passion of the team and the city is all the same from that standpoint,” he said. “I just feel like that if we continue to build this the right way, Scott (Perry) and Steve (Mills) have done an incredible job of lining it up so that we’re in a position next summer to make some big moves. I just feel like with the relationships that we’ve built and our approach to the game and our view of players and the way we value guys and the way we want to treat guys and the culture we want to build, I really think we’re going to find somebody who fits the bill.”

The ball has gotten rolling in this direction immediately following the chatter that All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving will hit next offseason has an unrestricted free agent. It has become well known that Irving has a strong interest to consider playing in New York that was originally on his shortlist of teams that he wanted to be traded to last summer.

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Meanwhile, this latest chatter involving All-Star forward Jimmy Butler reportedly not wanting to ink a long-term extension with the Minnesota Timberwolves puts another potential option on the table. It has now led to talk that Butler is possibly intrigued by the idea of playing next to Irving that could present itself with the Knicks.

New York is in a potentially promising position that could be anchored by their rising star Kristaps Porzingis proving that he can return fully healthy from the injury and perform at an All-Star level next season. Things could quickly line up for the franchise to make some huge splashes next summer and move back into relevancy in the league.