There hasn’t been much to celebrate about the New York Knicks performance the past few seasons. Since 2013, the Knicks have spent more time contending for the top lottery spot than a championship, and have struggled to accumulate quality talent throughout the rebuilding process. It didn’t help that the Knicks traded away multiple top picks, but the lottery picks they did make have yet to yield a player the franchise can truly build around. The closest the Knicks have come was selecting Kristaps Porzingis with the No. 4 pick in 2015.
The Porzingis era was ultimately cut short after the 7-foot-3 Latvian demanded to be traded earlier this season, and he was the best thing to happen to this franchise in the past five-plus years.