The NY Knicks have the fewest wins in the NBA this season and as they try and rebuild, Phil Jackson is hoping the team wins the lottery, as names like D'Angelo Russell, Emmanuel Mudiay, Jahlil Okafor, Karl-Anthony Towns and Kristaps Porzingis are all available and this comes as the team may try and target players like Greg Monroe, Rajon Rondo and Goran Dragic in free agency.
The New York Knicks have been terrible this year, but Jackson is preaching patience and he is hoping to bring in one or two marquee free agents to play alongside Carmelo Anthony. The team shut down Anthony after the All-Star break and they traded away the bulk of their roster at the deadline to give Jackson as much cap space as possible. Marc Stein at ESPN.com speculates that the team will chase Rondo, Dragic and Marc Gasol, while the NY Post reports that Greg Monroe and Tobias Harris also could be in the mix.
Marc Berman wrote on Sunday in the Post that the Knicks "have a shot" at getting Monroe, as he is looking for a major contract and the Knicks could give him a big offer. The Pistons can pay Monroe more money, but with all the cap space the Knicks have they also can compete. The Pistons tried to sign Monroe last year as an RFA, but they couldn't get it done and he played this season on a one year deal and has been very impressive. The Lakers are expected to chase Monroe as well and the Pistons could be in the mix after trading for Reggie Jackson at the deadline.
The Knicks are going to chase free agents, but Jackson has also been getting young players and draft picks together and he may have some talent on his hands. Cleanthony Early, Langston Galloway and Lance Thomas all have shown potential and the Knicks now hope they can add the number one pick in 2015. Okafor is the presumptive number one and if the team misses out on that pick, Russell and Mudiay are also potential options.
Jackson has scouted Okafor and he also watched Russell, who he called a "great prospect" out of Ohio State. The Knicks could look at him as an option if they miss out on Okafor, while Karl-Anthony Towns is another name that has come up, with Jackson watching him at Kentucky. The Knicks are crossing their fingers to get the number one pick and right now they have the worst record in the league by a half game.
The Knicks main priority this summer is adding a top free agent or two and if they can get Okafor in the draft, it would be an amazing plus for Jackson. The team knows they are going to have a top draft pick, it just depends where it will be. The Knicks once won the lottery for Patrick Ewing and they are hoping that the situation plays out like that again. Okafor is the presumptive number one pick and if he comes out he is expected to be the first name called. The Knicks are battling with the Lakers for free agents and they both will be chasing Rondo and Dragic.
