NINE LIVES
Bondy: Pressure’s on Knicks brass to hit home run with 9th pick
The Knicks got their coach, their mantras of patience, their trade for Emmanuel Mudiay and an alleged commitment from James Dolan that there’s no rush to the playoffs.
But no decision thus far by the front office is as big as Thursday’s. In other words, Steve Mills and Scott Perry can’t mess this up. Or miss this opportunity.
They’ve known this draft lottery pick was coming for many months, solidified the night Kristaps Porzingis’ knee twisted awkwardly on the Garden court. They’ve known that, in all likelihood, the Knicks won’t have cap space for free agency this summer, and their best means — their only means, really — of upgrading this roster is through the draft.
Perry and Mills have done their due diligence, scouting and working out more prospects than this story can fit inside its allotted word count. Unlike when Phil Jackson was nodding off at the combine just last year, you can’t accuse the latest front-office iteration of not paying attention.
Whether it has an eye for talent is still a big question mark. Let’s just say the initial moves of signing Tim Hardaway Jr. and Ron Baker last summer — before trading for Mudiay — weren’t very convincing.
With hopes of signing stars when cap space clears in the summer of 2019 (ahem, Kyrie Irving), Mills and Perry have to hit a home run in this draft. They need to turn the Knicks into an attractive destination with two cornerstones — Porzingis and the 2018 draft pick. That’s a much better band name than ‘Porzingis and the 2018 Bust.’
If it requires trading up to land Michael Porter Jr., Trae Young or Wendell Carter Jr., the Knicks should take that gamble. Memphis is reportedly shopping the No. 4 pick with a stipulation of the trade partner taking on Chandler Parsons’ albatross contract. It’s an intriguing scenario that’d possibly put the Knicks in play for European wunderkind Luka Doncic.
But if the Knicks truly believe Mikal Bridges or Kevin Knox are studs, then keep the cap flexibility and make one of them the choice at No. 9.
Porter, a top-level talent saddled with back issues, remains the wild card and added more risk to his name Wednesday by not ruling out the possibility of sitting out all of next season.
“I wouldn’t want to, but when you get to the NBA it’s a business,” Porter said. “And it could be up to the team I get drafted by.”
Nonetheless, according to sources, the Knicks are high on the 19-year-old who met with the front office recently in Chicago.
“They have a lot of interest in me,” Porter said.
The Knicks’ situation is murky in their draft position. So much is reliant on who the teams ahead of them pick, or what they’re willing to take back for their pick. Of all the possibilities percolating for Thursday’s draft — and there are many — there’s only one that will rescue the franchise from its never-ending rebuild: leave the night with a future star.
In an expected move, Knicks reserve center Kyle O’Quinn declined his $4.2 million player option and will become a free agent, a source confirmed.