The New York Knicks will potentially have money to sign two max contract players in free agency during the summer of 2019, and Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade believes Knicks head coach David Fizdale can help the franchise attract star players.

Dwyane Wade and David Fizdale spent many years together with the Miami Heat. Fizdale was the top assistant coach with the Heat. Wade knows first-hand what type of impact Fizdale has on players, and the future Hall of Famer claims guys in the league want to play for him, via Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News:

“I think he’s already changed that perception,” Wade said. “Players around the league want to play for Fiz. Now that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen right away because things happen – guys stay in certain places or they go team up with someone else. But if you ask every player around the league who is the coach they want to play for, Fiz’s name would come up.

“I think he is very aware — him and his wife — they understand where they want to go. A job like the Knicks, he wanted the challenge. It’s one of those jobs that not many people have gotten right. But if you get it right, it’s a special thing. And someone like him, he doesn’t run away from a challenge.”

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David Fizdale knows how to connect with players. Just this summer he and his wife traveled to Latvia to meet with Knicks star power forward Kristaps Porzingis, who was doing his ACL rehab back home.

Besides building a relationship with Porzingis, Fizdale sat down with KP and showed him film of his game. Fizdale wanted to make it clear to Porzingis that whatever he heard about what had happened with him and Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol, was blown out of proportion.

The Knicks were hoping that Fizdale could help bring Kyrie Irving to New York, but Irving informally announced before the season started that he plans to re-sign with the Celtics. Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson can all become free agents in 2019. Let's see if Dwyane Wade is right and players come to New York just to be coached by David Fizdale.