When Leon Rose officially took over as President of the New York Knicks, he had grand plans to make a huge splash in his first year in the Garden. The famed sports agent immediately made improvements behind the scenes with the addition of Tom Thibodeau as head coach and adding several high-profile scouts.
However, he could not complete his bid to add some much-needed star power in the Mecca after failing to lure multiple time All-Stars Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony this offseason, per the New York Post. The Knicks had the considerable cap room to complete a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder for Paul. But Lady Luck was not on their side once more, as CP3 reportedly preferred to stay close to his family on the West Coast and also did not want to play in an “empty” Madison Square Garden.
That small window came to a close when OKC sent Paul to the Phoenix Suns. Pundits, meanwhile, thought the Knicks had a real shot with Melo considering he was Rose's former client and actually entertained a reunion with his old team. In the end, Anthony preferred to remain loyal to the Portland Trail Blazers and agreed to re-sign with the team.
The Knicks were also willing to throw big bucks for prized free agent Fred VanVleet, but they weren't even close to a deal after he spurned them by returning to the Toronto Raptors.
Still, it's not all that bad in New York considering they still added some talent in from the draft and in free agency this year.
“They took a conservative approach by signing one-year, stopgap players,’’ ex-Nets assistant GM Bobby Marks said, per New York Post. “This is a huge year for RJ [Barrett], [Kevin] Knox and Obi from a development stage. It’s important for the young kids to develop this season. That will be the draw to free agents.”
Although they missed out on the big names, the Knics still added some depth after agreeing to short-term deals with Austin Rivers and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. They did not go crazy with their cap space and did not overpay underserving players as they did in seasons past. New York native Obi Toppin also somehow fell onto their laps at no.8 in the 2020 NBA Draft.
To be clear, the Knicks still have a long way to go to regain relevancy, but hiring Leon Rose is certainly a step in the right direction.
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