Deserved or not that’s his legacy.

He’s a legit great player but winning a championship in NY would dwarf anything he’s accomplished so far in terms of his legacy. That should be our pitch to free agents.

I would still love if someone could explain to me why no top players ever wanted to be traded to the Knicks or sign as free agents when we have hovered around 29-33 wins many times this decade, and why that would change now if we reach that level again next season. Like, what has fundamentally changed so that a strategy that has never worked for this franchise will work now.

Besides, it’s Kawhi Leonard we’re talking about. There’s not one great player who seems to care less than he does about this sort of narrative, he has given no indication ever that he cares about his legacy at all or people’s perception of him.

(1) The Knicks saying they’d consider Boogie is a completely meaningless statement. If they didn’t “consider” him they wouldn’t be doing a good job, even for a 1yr max.

(2) Signing Boogie for the max presents a decent opportunity to flip him to a contender and pick up some young pieces/picks. With the Warriors running on fumes/injured the NBA is wide open for the first time in awhile, we will see teams be more aggressive in pursuing players at the trade deadline.

(3) The flattened lottery odds made a huge difference this year. Even if we do tank and get the worst record our average projected draft slot is not going to net us a surefire franchise changing player.

(4) League perception of team talent matters. The league is currently being driven by stars who choose where they want to play, making yourself a more attractive destination for free agents is a good idea. Players want to play for teams that show they’re already good or starting to create some buzz. For example, if the Knicks had a better record than the Nets last year do you think Kyrie (and therefore KD) would be as likely to sign with the Nets?

Two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard will certainly not be remembered as the guy who “rode Duncan/Manu/Parker.” There are few players that need to win a championship with the Knicks to cement their legacy less than Kawhi Leonard.

I’ll add one thing that hasn’t been said…

The recruiting pitch to NY and specifically NYK is this. There are more Knick fans than there are any other fans of any other basketball team. The parade would be the biggest ever. Every city has Knick fans. It PISSES ME OFF that mainstream media treats us like a punching bag as if we don’t pay their salaries. There are more smart NYK fans, more dumb ones, and would be more bandwagon jumpers than any other team. Win a chip for NY and it would be like nowhere else. Yes, there’s a difference. Kawhi Leonard will be remembered as a guy who rode Tim Duncan / Manu/ Parker and who beat an injury ravaged GSW. Deserved or not that’s his legacy. If he comes here and wins one as “the straw that stirs the drink” he enters the conversation for best ever. Come on Perry. Get Alec Baldwin on the phone. This pitch has got to be spot on.

What’s the point of any of this, really? The front office doesn’t know what they’re doing. I’m just happy with anything that doesn’t fuck the team up long term

I totally get where you’re coming from on that, but I’m not quite yet prepared to simply root for them to not fuck things up that badly. Not yet, at least!