Dolan sounds off on favorite paper
James Dolan almost assured the Knicks will land a top free agent this summer, claiming he's been informed by either players or agents that the signatures are coming. He also accused a rival GM of planting a story to sabotage the Knicks' free agency.
These were among the highlights Tuesday of a long ESPN Radio interview with the Knicks owner, who brought notes to the studio for talking points and defending himself for banning a fan from MSG – “I was ambushed!” — and banning the Daily News from press events – “I get to invite who I want!”
“New York is the Mecca of basketball,” Dolan said. “And we hear from people all the time, from players, from representatives about who wants to come. We can't respond because of the NBA rules, etc. But that doesn't stop them telling us. And they do.
“And I can tell you from we heard, I think we're going to have a very successful summer when it comes to free agents.”
The Knicks have cap space for two max free agents and have most often been linked to Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. That's not lost on Dolan. Per NBA rules, the owner can't talk about specific free agents but tested the boundaries of league etiquette when denying a recent report from The Ringer's Bill Simmons that Dolan might sell the Knicks.
“There are teams that do not want us to get free agents. Some in particular,” Dolan said. “(Simmons) is very close friends with the GM of one team. What they're doing is they're trying to destabilize because they know we're favored.”
Dolan didn't name the accused saboteur but Simmons, a Boston sports fan, is close with many GMs, including the Celtics' Danny Ainge. Irving plays for the Celtics and recently walked back a verbal commitment to re-sign with the team in free agency.
But the premise that Dolan selling the team would detract superstar free agents is faulty. The Knicks haven't secured one during the entirety of Dolan's tenure and he's hardly viewed around the league as a stabilizing force.
But Dolan believes this summer will be different.
“Yes, I do think that. I think we offer a pretty good situation for (our target free agents),” Dolan said. “One is a lot of them love New York, a bunch of them live in New York in the offseason. They know the team, they know (coach David Fizdale) really well, they know (team president Steve Mills) and (GM Scott Perry). Players want to go to a winner and they want to get paid. We're definitely going to pay them. We think with the kids we're developing, we can win.”
The Knicks own the worst record in the NBA at 13-54 going into Tuesday and have lost at least 50 games for five straight seasons, a franchise record for ineptitude. Among his failures in recent years was failing to draw LeBron James the multiple times ‘The King' became a free agent.
The Knicks secured a meeting with James in 2010, but, according to Dolan, “he was not engaged at all.
“And I guess what was really going on is that he already made up his mind to go to Miami. So he was sort've going through the motions. Not everybody is going to want to come here. But I think – particularly looking at this free agent class – I think we'll do really well. But you know what, time will tell.”
The reason the Knicks have enough cap space for two max free agents is because they traded their best young asset on the roster, Kristaps Porzingis. Dolan confirmed Tuesday that former team president Phil Jackson tried to deal Porzingis in 2017 but apparently was denied by the owner.
At the time, the Suns reportedly offered the 2017 No. 4 overall pick, the Miami Heat's firstround pick in 2018, an unprotected 2021 first-rounder from the Suns and a young player. The Knicks ultimately traded Porzingis to the Mavericks for cap space, two future firstround picks and Dennis Smith Jr.
Asked if the Knicks could've secured a better deal if he acquiesced to Jackson's desire to trade Porzingis, Dolan said, flatly, “No.
“Phil didn't get along with KP and his brother (Janis),” the owner said. “Phil grew up in a time and played basketball in a time where no matter what, they stayed together and followed the coach. Times are different.”
Regarding the current team, Dolan was especially bullish on Mitchell Robinson and Kevin Knox. He also audibly sighed when asked why he didn't fire Jackson before drafting Frank Ntilikina. Not a ringing endorsement for the Frenchman. Nonetheless, Dolan wanted to send the message that the Knicks are getting a superstar in the summer.
“I think the Knicks are going to be extremely dramatic,” Dolan said. “Between now and the start of next season it's a game changer.”