Season Highlight:

The Knicks went from scraping into the top 8 during the 2015 season on a 48-34 record and being swept by the Sixers; to being a legitimate force in the East comfortably finishing in the top 4 with 55 wins. So they are heading in the right direction and that's got to feel good for the Knicks head office. Irving sat out a good portion of the start of the season due to injury and the Knicks led by Harden, didn’t miss a beat. A serious case for MVP was made around the league for Harden and his efforts but was edged out in the end by a surging Celtics team led by Kevin Durant. The Knicks met a tough up and coming Bucks team and edged them out in 7 games, only to come up against the Sixers again going down in 5. Disappointing sure, but the point is the Knicks are capable and willing to make the hard decisions only moving forward. 

Season Lowlight:

Which such an improvement from the season before its hard to be critical or pick out a lowlight, any bets were the Knicks organisation had plans to go all the way but it just wasn’t their year. Does Irving in all year prevent a second round blow out against the Sixers? Perhaps, but it might’ve just been delaying the inevitable against the likes of the insanely deep and experienced Celtics and Sixers squads. 

Best Trade:

The Atlanta Hawks send Dwight Howard to the New York Knicks. The New York Knicks send  Ronnie Price and Greg Monroe to the Atlanta Hawks. 
The New York Knicks send a  1st-Rounder (NY) to the Atlanta Hawks. 

The Atlanta Hawks trade -3 GM points.The New York Knicks receive 3 GM points.

Can’t really go past the deal that brought in one of the most dominant bigs in the game, in turn putting the Knicks on everyones radar as one of the true contenders in the league. I don’t particularly think the deal was in the Knicks favour in any huge way but it just seemed like the “final missing piece” kind of move. The 1st rounder ended up being pick 25 in a 2016 draft class regarded by most as being a bit hit and miss in terms of overall talent. Monroe couldn’t bring what Howard does on the defensive end so it made sense. Keeping Howard around could be argued as a waste of resources but its not like the Knicks head office are scared of a little luxury tax drama if it converts to wins. 

Worst Trade:

The Detroit Pistons send  Spencer Hawes to the Washington Wizards. The New York Knicks send  Jameer Nelsonto the Washington Wizards. The Washington Wizards send  Joe Ingles to the Detroit Pistons. The Washington Wizards send  J.J. Hickson to the New York Knicks. 
The New York Knicks send a  2nd-Rounder (NY) and 2nd-Rounder (NY) to the Detroit Pistons.

I mean the deal made sense at the time and it obviously served a purpose for a legitimate contender trying to find some big man constancy. Essentially the Knicks gave up Nelson who’s still a quality back up type PG on a friendly 3 year deal and two future seconds for Hickson’s expiring contract. J.J's circumstances have changed and is now looking to make a home in the Chinese league. Hickson was solid off the bench in limited minutes and served his purpose, but it just looked like a bit of a scramble move which right now is hard to justify. That being said, if this is your “worst” move of the season then you’re doing pretty good. 

Other Notable Trades:

The New York Knicks send  Maurice Harkless to the San Antonio Spurs. The New York Knicks send  Tony Wrotenand Jae Crowder to the Toronto Raptors. The San Antonio Spurs send  Jameer Nelson to the New York Knicks. The Toronto Raptors send  Mario Chalmers, Donatas Motiejunas and Kyle Anderson to the New York Knicks. 

The New York Knicks trade -8 GM points.The Toronto Raptors receive 8 GM points.

Not a bad move to get multiple pieces to provide depth and grab a nice young prospect in Kyle Anderson while off loading Wroten’s shaky contract. Giving up Crowder on a long term contract, which now looks like arguably one of the best value contracts in the league is a hard pill to swallow but. 

The New York Knicks send  Luol Deng to the Orlando Magic. The Orlando Magic send  Maurice Harkless to the New York Knicks. 

Solid cost cutting move to get something in return for veteran wing Deng on an expiring contract. 

Best FA Signing:

Without a doubt being able to lock up Kyrie Irving for 5 years on a relatively friendly contract for an all star type player was the best move made. The Knicks have in my opinion, the best backcourt in the league and it’s going to stay that way for years with both of them heading into their prime years. 

Honourable mention to the decision to sign Greg Monroe as well seeing as he was the main piece involved in eventually bringing over Howard mid season. 

Worst FA Signing:

I don’t really think the Knicks made any FA signings I would classify as being the “worst” or at least detrimental to their cause… I suppose I can single out Charlie Villanueva among a group of (smart) non factor moves bringing in veterans signed on minimum deals to fill our the roster. Charlie played a whopping 9 min a game for the first 32 games of the season before being shipped to the Wizards for a bag of salt and vinegar chips. 

Star:

James Harden. 

No question. The guy tore the league up for 32.4 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 4.8 APG and 1.6 SPG having career bests in nearly every category. He was the MVP favourite for most of the season until KD made a late push with the Celtics. Regardless, Harden led this team all season long and still put up huge numbers even with Irving coming back into the lineup. He’s the franchise star and the future for the foreseeable future. 
 
Surprise:

Besides Hardens amazing season? Wesley Johnson was the perfect complimentary piece and played all 82 games for the Knicks with one of his best seasons yet in the 6 years he’s been in the league. His averages of 13.9 PPG, 4.2 RPG and 1.8 APG where solid next to two of the best guards in the league. The point is that he evolved his game and scored more on the perimeter while being versatile and effective on the defensive end. 

Goat:

Paul Millsap.

For the amount of money this guy is getting paid you would expect a bit more output. He was inefficient and unable to contribute much on the offensive end, sure thats not that big of an issue with such a high scoring backcourt and in his defence its a bit hard to create without the ball in his hands. He should be focusing more on the defensive end and I expect a big upcoming season for the versatile veteran. Because in the end I’d expect his head on the chopping block before newly acquired Howard. 

Draft Report Card:

Unfortunately the Knicks shipped off all their picks in deals to bring in assets rather then taking late round punts in the draft. To be expected of course from a ball club who’s worrying more about contending than developing young talent. I would imagine though, with a solid core in place the Knicks head office will be leaning more towards holding onto their future picks to make sure a steady flow of young guys are coming up through the ranks.

Looking to the Future:

The Future is now. They have a formidable core in Harden, Irving and Howard. It’s expected a lot of resources will be invested this off season into keeping Howard around long term and going all in at the most opportune time with Harden and Irving heading into their prime. Henson, Portis and Anderson are solid young guys coming off the bench who are only going to get better. The Knicks are going to have some salary issues, which seems to be a trending issue across the league with the salary increase/inflated contracts but thats nothing new to them. 

Upcoming Free Agents:

Dwight Howard: Howard has been a member of four different teams over the last four years, so hopefully he’s seen enough in New York to convince him to stay. Rumours have it that all parties involved are trying to finalise a deal to the tune of 3 years/70m. 

Wesley Johnson: This guy was huge for them last year in terms of being a perfect role player that doesn’t take away from the effectiveness of the Knicks back court. Still under 30 and will be looking for a long term deal while being relatively cheap. Which is priority for the Knicks when you have 86m wrapped up in the rest of your starting line up. 

Jared Dudley: A solid Vet but still looking for his last big contract. Might be to much to justify bringing him off the bench. 

Mario Chalmers: He’s in no postion to be demanding any kind of contract still dealing with injury issues, chances are the Knicks will want to move in another direction in terms of a back up PG. 

Quincy Acy: Opted out of his last contract and might be a viable option on a cheap 2 year deal coming off the bench. 

Jordan Hamilton: His circumstances are unclear and I’d imagine the Knicks wont be interested in bringing him back regardless. 

John Henson (RFA): All bets are Henson will be back in a Knicks uniform next season. Solid young big coming off the bench, can’t go wrong. 

Tyler Johnson (RFA): Jury is still out on wether Johnson will be coming back or not. Solid young SG but the Knicks salary issues could force their hand and let him walk if someone else shows interest. 

Both Sloan and Hickson have already packed their bags and are attempting to brush up on their Chinese, wont be here come the season opener.