At the 2017 NBA Draft, the New York Knicks were heavily linked with Dennis Smith Jr. and Malik Monk with the eighth overall pick. Instead, former President Phil Jackson — in one of his final moves before being fired — ultimately selected Frank Ntilikina as Smith Jr. and Monk were selected after by the Dallas Mavericks and Charlotte Hornets, respectively.
As the Knicks and Hornets linked up in the Willy Hernangomez for Johnny O'Bryant III and two future second round draft picks trade, it appears New York wanted more. According to Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer as transcribed by Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype, President Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry were interested in a prospect Jackson passed on:
“Prior to the deadline, I heard he was somebody that they were listening to offers for already … I heard some noise the Knicks were going for him prior to the deadline. It’s odd, maybe they’ve soured on him quickly.”
With this latest report, it is interesting that Mills recently discussed a potential Monk trade as he was the team's general manager when Jackson was still around. Although many preferred Monk or Smith Jr. over Ntilikina, it will take a couple more seasons before determining if Jackson made the right decision.
Since the Monk trade did not happen, the Knicks acquired Emmanuel Mudiay in a three-team trade with the Mavericks and Denver Nuggets. Despite an optimistic start to the 2017-18 NBA season, New York fell apart in January and it was compounded by Kristaps Porzingis' season-ending injury.
With the Knicks 7.5 games out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, they will shift their focus to their young core. As New York will be without Porzingis for much of the 2018-19 season, prospects like Ntilikina and Mudiay will have grand opportunities to play major minutes and speed up their development.
For the Knicks, the hope is they can establish a young core around Porzingis in order to make New York an attractive free agent destination again in 2019.
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