After missing out on Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, both whom signed with crosstown rivals the Brooklyn Nets, the Knicks backed out of a meeting with the top remaining free agent.
According to reports, Kawhi Leonard was willing to meet with the Knicks in Los Angeles on Wednesday. The reason for the delay is that he wanted to meet with the Lakers and Clippers first.
This was unacceptable to the Knicks and for good reason. By the time the meeting was to occur, the Knicks spent $70 million on free agents.
Emotional fans will scream at the Knicks stupidity and call them a laughingstock. Much of the media is already doing that. Although the Knicks usually warrant the attacks of buffoonery levied against them, in this instance, they took a smart approach.
The NBA sees free agency move very quickly. As stated, the Knicks spent $70 million by the time the Leonard meet up was to occur. If the Knicks went to the meeting and missed out on Leonard, what was Plan C? As it was, the whiff on both Durant and Irving meant they were already operating on Plan B.
For a team in desperate need of some talent, the Knicks could not afford to leave this free agency period with nothing. While they did not pull in anyone golden, they did improve their team. They also maintained payroll flexibility in the future by not committing to anything past two years.
This is one of those situations where Knick brass had to weight the pros and cons of a Leonard meeting. It is obvious they did not feel they could snare him, especially after missing on Durant. To be frank, the Knicks did not have a lot of attractiveness in terms of the team on the court.
Elite NBA players want to win. The path to winning with the Knicks is not clear at the moment. They are in the "improving" stage. In all honestly, a guy like Leonard probably would not want to join a 17 win without additional pieces. Since he would be the only superstar, the odds of him selecting another destination is great.
For once, the Knicks' front office does not seem like they are totally clueless even though it appears that way to many on the outside.