Schmeelk: Knicks Quiet At Trade Deadline, And That's A Good Thing
By John Schmeelk
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The Knicks weren't able to make any moves before Thursday's trade deadline, and that's not a bad thing.
With only 27 games remaining, the chances of passing four teams and making up five games to grab the eighth seed are slim to none. Since the team doesn't have a draft pick this year, making the playoffs would have been especially satisfying, but at this moment, it just isn't realistic.
The other problem is that the Knicks simply didn't have any expendable assets that were good enough to get any significant players. Of course, any team without good players has another option to try to get good players: trade draft picks. Say what you want about Knicks president Phil Jackson and some of the mistakes he has made, but he has refused to trade draft picks to make some sort of small improvement to the current team.
In the long run, besides drafting Kristaps Porzingis, there might not be a more important decision Jackson has made in his tenure here than his decision to really value draft picks. Whether it was trading Tim Hardaway Jr. for a first-round pick last year or refusing to deal away any picks in future years, Jackson has made the Knicks look very responsible when it comes to the draft.
Once the Knicks get past the 2016 NBA Draft, they own all of their first-round picks in future years. They haven't been able to say that for more than a decade. The second round is still a bit of a mess through 2021, but those are far easier to recoup through future trades.
There are no sure things and it will be a slog that will last a few years, but the Knicks' best chance for long-term success is to build around Porzingis through the draft. Free agency can obviously be a big part of it, too, but it is rare these days for truly great players to move from one team to another in free agency. The chance the Knicks will be the team that a player like that chooses to sign with is even smaller.
Even though it's still very difficult, and unlikely, there's a better chance of finding a player like that in the draft. You can groom a player like that in your system, and for the first handful of years of his career, you have him signed to a very reasonable contract. Once a couple of players like that become better pros, that's when the Knicks will become a more preferred free-agent destination for accomplished veteran players.
Keeping those picks also leaves options open for future trades if a transcendent player does become available. First-round picks are often wasted in trades for players like Eddy Curry and Andrea Bargnani, but they can make sense to include in trades for players like Carmelo Anthony, Blake Griffin or other superstars that might want a change of scenery. Not moving those picks at the trade deadline for mediocre players (see the Clippers) keeps the team's options open in future deals.
Similarly, if Anthony does decide he no longer wants to wait for a championship this summer, the Knicks should insist on receiving at least one first-round pick in return for him (in addition to players to reach the $24 million mark). It not only gives you an opportunity to find a star yourself, but to package it in a future move to find another player.
Look at all the possible trades that the Celtics are mentioned to be involved in thanks to the abundance of picks they have in future seasons (thank you, Nets). They will be involved in every major trade rumor moving forward, and they can pick and choose what they want to do.
The key word is "flexibility." Owning first-round picks -- or even better, multiple first-round picks -- gives a franchise much more flexibility in future years to land great players in the draft or via trade. Once the team gets past this summer (and 2017, since the Knicks can't trade that pick), they will have a lot of options as to how they want to turn into a playoff team.
With the trade deadline very quiet this season, it also makes it far more likely that there will be players moved on draft night or during the free agency period. With the draft being weak this year outside of the top couple picks, teams might be more willing to move picks.
The salary cap is supposed to jump another $20 million or so, which means a lot of teams will have cap room to spend on free agents. More significant for the Knicks, it also means more teams will have cap space to absorb large contracts without having to send corresponding salaries in return. It makes moving big contracts (like Anthony, if he decides that's what he wants) much, much easier.
Jackson could have ruined the Knicks' future flexibility by moving a future pick to try to satisfy some short-term need to make the playoffs. It would have made the team much less able to make a more meaningful and significant move in future summers and at future trade deadlines.
Thankfully, that era, at least for now, appears to be over. It's the type of move the Knicks have made countless times before.
For everything Knicks, Giants and the world of sports, follow John on Twitter at @Schmeelk.
