NEW YORK _ The Knicks appear to be all-in on developing from within in 2018 before they plan to go outside for game and potential franchise changers next summer.
"We're not going to be highly active people in the summer," Knicks general manager Scott Perry said.
Things can change, of course. But the Knicks' won't have much to spend in free agency and are not built to win now. So don't expect them to make a push for LeBron James, despite his relationship with new Knicks' coach David Fizdale.
Their plan is to not sign anyone to long-term deals and to shed contracts that have more than one-year remaining on it. That means Courtney Lee and Joakim Noah might not be Knicks for much longer.
Enes Kanter has an $18.6 million option that he needs to make a decision on by the end of the month. The Knicks are not expected to give him a multiyear deal if he opts out, so odds are Kanter, who loves New York, will pick up his option. The Knicks would be fine with that.
The Knicks' resources will be limited this summer. Their goal is to have the money in 2019 when the likes of Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, Kemba Walker and Kevin Love are free agents. There already are rumblings about Irving's desire to join the Knicks. He listed them among his preferred destinations when he asked out of Cleveland.
The Knicks want to make New York a desirable location again for free agents. That's what makes whatever they do this summer and how their players develop critical to luring players.
Kristaps Porzingis, who is rehabbing in Real Madrid from a torn ACL, could be a draw. Irving said he would love to play with Porzingis. They would make a dynamic combination if they can stay healthy. Both have proved to be injury prone.
Since there are no guarantees, it's on Fizdale and Craig Robinson, the Knicks' head of player development, to get the most out of Frank Ntilikina, Emmanuel Mudiay, Trey Burke, Damyean Dotson, and draft picks Kevin Knox and Mitchell Robinson.
The Knicks have missed the playoffs for five straight seasons. You probably can pencil in a sixth unless there are some unforeseeable major upgrades and Porzingis returns much sooner than expected. It would be surprising if he's back before January 2019, and it's possible he may not play at all next season.
That makes player development huge for a team that has been touting that very thing for months now.
Fizdale said the young players "got to swim now," and didn't rule out starting Knox, who turns 19 in August, as a rookie.
The Knicks coach said he doesn't necessarily see a starting small forward on the roster, which is another indication that the Knicks will look to trade Lee, who has two years and $25 million left on his contract. Lee is a natural shooting guard.
Fizdale said he wants more size at that position to guard LeBron James, Kevin Durant and other big small forwards. The Knicks likely would play Lance Thomas on them. But Knox is 6-9. His body is still growing and developing, as is his game. Let him swim.
This makes sense considering where the Knicks are now and what they want to be. They continue to talk about building something sustainable. If you don't have superstars, that means developing players. The Celtics, Jazz and Heat have done well using that approach.
Fizdale talked about his time in Miami after James returned to Cleveland He said the Heat coaches "got in the gym, got to work, and put our heads down" and focused on developing Tyler Johnson, Josh Richardson, Hassan Whiteside and Justice Winslow.
That background with the Heat is one of the reasons the Knicks hired Fizdale. He said the Knicks' young players have been putting in work already. Ntilikina, Mudiay and Dotson were at Friday's news conference introducing the draft picks.
"We've had no less than seven guys in here every day," Fizdale said.
Now Knox and Robinson will be joining that group, as the Knicks go forward with their developmental program and plan. The Knicks have never really tried that approach before, but it's necessary now and critical for the growth of the players and the franchise.
