The New York Knicks entered the 14-15 season hoping to rebound and make the playoffs after missing out during the 13-14 season. Ultimately, injuries marred the entire season and sent the team on an early downward spiral. The only Knicks player to appear in all 82 games was backup big man Jason Smith. And he was a late signing that was more an afterthought than anything else.

Carmelo Anthony missed over half the season as did other key players like Amar’e Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani. Jose Calderon played just over half the season himself. Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith were both dealt away in January after missing several games of their own. The Knicks wisely made the move to play younger players and improve their draft position as the season wound down.

Unfortunately, lottery luck didn't come for the Knicks. Both the 76ers and Lakers jumped the Knicks and pushed them back in the draft from No. 2 to No. 4. At the draft, the Knicks jumped on Kristaps Porzingis at No. 4. Porzingis shows all the potential that Andrea Bargnani once showed, but with more drive than Bargnani ever seemed to have. During Summer League, the big Latvian showed a soft touch, a willingness to mix it up down low and good shot blocking ability. At 7’3’’ and just 233 lbs., Porzingis needs to add some bulk to avoid being pushed around inside. However, the early signs are good that the Knicks hit on this pick.

Later on draft night, the Knicks made a deal that sent out young wing Tim Hardaway Jr. and returned point guard Jerian Grant. Hardaway Jr. had stagnated somewhat as a prospect. All of his efficiency stats dropped in his second year. This may have been a case of having to do more than he is capable as injuries struck, but New York chose to cash in on his value and picked up a point guard prospect. Grant fits the mold of what Phil Jackson wants in a floor general, as he is 6’4’’. His jump shot needs work and it remains to be seen if he’ll be able to get in the lane in the NBA, but he is a nice fit behind Jose Calderon for a year or so.

As the year turned over to 15-16, the Knicks found themselves with a plethora of space under the cap. Unlike the previous time New York was in this situation, there was no LeBron James to court. Despite speculation that the team might move on from Carmelo Anthony, they chose instead to build around him.

The Knicks had a gaping hole at the center position since trading Tyson Chandler the previous offseason. They filled that vacancy with Robin Lopez. Lopez was one of the better defense first centers on the market this summer. He’ll be a good presence inside who can protect the rim and rebound, all without needing the ball on the other of the court.

The next signing was to bring in Arron Afflalo on the wing. Afflalo is a veteran scorer and defender who should be a nice fit for the triangle offense because of his offensive versatility. Despite a down shooting year last season, he can reliably score both in the mid-range and out to the arc. Essentially, Afflalo, as one player for less money, combines what the Knicks had been getting from Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith.

The Knicks continued to rebuild their frontcourt by executing a sign-and-trade for Kyle O’Quinn from Orlando. Jackson has always liked to have a rugged big man coming off the bench, and that is the role O’Quinn projects to fill for New York. He can play power forward in the right matchups and is a reliable backup center. His jump shot has come a long way since his rookie year. It is to the point that he must now be guarded from around 15-18 feet. He’s very willing to bang inside and do the dirty work. He’s a really solid back up for Lopez and a nice insurance policy to allow the Knicks to bring Porzingis along slowly. 

After three very solid signings, there was a questionable move. Signing Derrick Williams to a two-year contract is a fine gamble. Giving him almost $9 million over those two years is the questionable part. No other team seemed likely to give Williams that sort of money. Over the course of his first four years in the league, Williams has proven that his best position is as an undersized power forward. However, his lack of a reliable three-point shot, makes him unable to fill the stretch 4 role that is en vogue in the league right now. He can’t protect the rim, so he needs to be paired with a big that can. Seeing as it seems somewhat likely Williams may open the year as the Knicks starting power forward, this signing raises some eyebrows to say the least.

The Knicks rounded out the offseason by filling their bench with reliable role players. Louis Amundson and Lance Thomas were brought back on short, cheap deals to fill roles as hustle players who stay in their lane when called upon to play. Phil Jackson favorite, Sasha Vujacic was brought in to fill the backup wing role. If nothing else, he’ll serve as another player to help teach the triangle offense to this group. And Kevin Seraphin was added as yet another big that can bang bodies behind Lopez and O’Quinn. And finally, New York signed Thanasis Antetokounmpo, who had spent all of last year in the D-League. The other “Greek Freak” adds athleticism to a group that could use a jolt of it. 

When it comes to the players moving on, as is often the case with a high lottery team, none of them will be missed very much. We covered Hardaway above and the rest are role players at best. Bargnani never returned the value the Knicks traded for him and only earned scorn from the fans and media alike. Quincy Acy was a good hustle player, but not much more. The Knicks should be able to replace what he gave them with any number of their offseason signees. Shane Larkin is a replacement level backup PG, at least to this point. And Alexey Shved was able to put up some decent stats while New York played out the string, but he had no real place in the NBA beyond an end of the bench role. Travis Wear and Ricardo Ledo are far likelier to play in the D-League or overseas than on an NBA team going forward.

The only player who could be missed is Jason Smith. He evolved in to the Knicks most consistent player. After years of injuries, he was able to play the entire season and was solid all year. But seeing as the Knicks brought in so many other bigs this year, Smith is unlikely to be missed much either.

Offseason Grade: B.

New York rebounded from an awful season and tough lottery luck to have a really solid summer. By the end of last year, players who had no business playing the NBA were playing big minutes for the Knicks. Another year like that would have been unacceptable to their fan base. Unlike some previous offseasons, all of their transactions made sense, minus perhaps Derrick Williams. If you are going to build around a ball dominant superstar like Carmelo Anthony, you have to have solid role players around him. Newcomers such as Lopez, Afflao, O’Quinn and Williams, along with holdovers like Calderon, Amundson, Thomas and Langston Galloway fit best when filling a role. Efforts to pair Anthony with a fellow superstar have come up short in the past. This is an effort to go in a different direction. The moves this summer also give the Knicks the ability to bring Porzingis and Grant along slowly and not rush their development. 

The Knicks may not have improved enough to pass all the teams that finished ahead of them, but they are in a far better position to do so than last year. Health is never a guarantee, but assuming the players they signed remain relatively healthy, this should be a competitive team all year long. However, if they start slowly or injuries hit again, do the rumors of trading Anthony being once more? Will the fans and media start clamoring for Porzingis and Grant to take the lead as the faces of the franchise? The Knicks are caught squarely in the middle of their rebuild with some solid veterans backed by good prospects. Do they have the patience to wait it out another year? Or do they push either towards contention or go in to full rebuilding mode?