After trading Carmelo Anthony to the Houston Rockets, the New York Knicks finally embraced a full rebuild around Kristaps Porzingis. While most expected the Knicks to lose a lot of games, they started the 2017-18 NBA season with an 18-18 record. Unfortunately, a challenging January and Kristaps Porzingis' season-ending injury has derailed an optimistic start to the rebuilding process.
According to Yaron Weitzman of Bleacher Report, general manager Scott Perry discussed why future free agents will consider them:
“I think that in terms of players and free agents looking to the Knicks … they'll see how this team is coming together in terms of playing hard, trying to support one another,” he said. “They sense it. They see where the culture is headed, where we're going. And I think there will be players that will want to be a part of that. Players want to be a part of teams. They want to be a part of families where they're being supported and cared for and developed and all of those things.”
While former President of Basketball Operations Phil Jackson was heavily criticized during his stint, his best move was selecting Porzingis with the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. In three short seasons, Porzingis has established himself as one of the league's rising stars, averaging 22.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks in 48 appearances.
Along with Porzingis, there is great optimism with Frank Ntilikina, the team's eighth overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. With another upcoming lottery pick, the Knicks could establish a young core that will certainly be attractive to future free agents in the years to come.
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