The Knicks have been careful _ other than the owner _ to soften expectations for their summer makeover. While James Dolan went on the radio recently and confidently expressed his belief that the stars of free agency will come and have already indicated to the team of their intentions, team president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry have tried to explain all of the optimistic paths that the Knicks future can take.
In the hours after trading away Kristaps Porzingis, a deal that allowed the team to open up two max salary cap slots, the front office executives tried to temper the talk of Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving and instead look at the big picture _ and relieve the pressure that will press firmly on their shoulders this summer.
"I think this is still in line with what we've talked about from the beginning," Perry said. "We talked about building with young players, building through the draft. We get back an exciting young player in the deal. We get back two future draft picks and then the fact that we do have some financial flexibility. I think if you study teams over the course of building like we're doing, financial flexibility is an important part of that so that you can be opportunistic as you move forward."
"We believe we haven't reset our plan," Mills added. "What we did were the things that were consistent with our plan. A byproduct of what we did created $68 million worth of room. We're going to be prudent in how we use that room because we're still consistent in building this team through the draft and with young players and when there is an opportunity to add a free agent, that certainly is one of the tools that we have in our tool box."
Even if Dolan had cautiously held his tongue it might not have eased the pressure from the fan base who seemed willing to go along with a season that seems bound to be the worst in franchise history and even to trade away the franchise centerpiece in Porzingis. Financial flexibility is hardly the return that the fans consider a fair return for their patience.
But the reason for the caution from the front office is that even armed with $74 million in cap space the decision is not in their hands. If Durant opts to stay with Golden State, shuttle down the coast to Los Angeles, join on in Brooklyn or, brace yourself, join Porzingis in Dallas, it's his choice no matter how much cash the Knicks are desperately waving at him.
So we asked players and agents what makes the decision in the end if everyone has the cash, granting anonymity to them in exchange for what we hope is honesty. And some of it was what you would expect like a winning organization or a glamorous city, but also things as simple as the state of the art practice facility. Does Kyrie want to come home to New York? If so, players warned: Put a stop to all of the old friends with hands out as soon as you arrive.
Armed with some of that information and the probable cap space from spotrac.com here is a look at how the teams are regarded by the players they are chasing.
