Tuesday’s 45-minute State of Zen address established two elements of patience — team president Phil Jackson is not trading his draft pick for a veteran if the Knicks are picking in the top three, and he still has modest expectations for 2015-16 despite cap space and a No. 2 lottery seed.
Perhaps the Zen Master’s most revealing remark wasn’t a declaration that it’s “crazy’’ to assume the Knicks could contend for a title next season. Instead, it was a comment he made that even if the Knicks get a top-two pick, the club “may have to sit on our hands” next season.
He noted Carmelo Anthony’s return from knee surgery and that a potential new rookie stud (even centers Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor) won’t be ready to produce big things yet as a 19-year-old.
Jackson implied the Knicks could tread water, waiting for 2016’s free agency, when cap space will be more plentiful and Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant, whose coach Scott Brooks was fired Wednesday, and even LeBron James, hit the market. Jackson didn’t sound like he is in line to sign a superstar such as LaMarcus Aldridge this summer.
Jackson has invoked multiple times the 30th anniversary of the Knicks winning the Patrick Ewing lottery. Ewing, despite four years at Georgetown, needed at least two years before rocking the NBA.
“The reality is you want to grow a star [from the draft] who can be in this system, who will be here for 15 years, a career,’’ Jackson said. “We love the fact that Patrick Ewing came out first, and he was a player for over 15 years that moved the franchise in a way that everybody recognizes. We think there are a couple of players in this draft that might be able to do that.”
As such, there will be no trade if Jackson is in position to take one of those players — likely Towns, Okafor or combo guard D’Angelo Russell.
“We’re certainly not going to walk away from a situation like that — even if it means we might have to sit on our hands for a year in the growth process and watch Carmelo come back off injury and regenerate in a year after this and provide more support as we go forward,’’ Jackson said. “We think the first few draft picks are capable. They may not be 40-minute players, but 20-minute players.’’
Jackson confessed he is more likely to trade their pick if they fall to No. 5. Jackson admitted the “priority’’ is a big man — preferably one who is defense-oriented. That would be Towns over Okafor, but it is clear the Knicks love both. If Jackson is staring at Duke’s Justise Winslow, who plays Anthony’s position, or mystery point guard Emmanuel Mudiay, then he may want to peruse the veteran landscape and trade down.
While $26 million in cap space sounds like a lot, the 2015 summer marketplace stands to be volatile because of the 2016 cap explosion. It is unclear if a third-tier free agent such as young Bucks swingman Khris Middleton, who made $915,000 this season, can be snared for less than a starting wage of $7 million.
So trading down if Okafor or Towns is off the board to grab a veteran is a strong possibility.
“Most people would say the top-15 picks in this draft are very good chances,’’ Jackson said. There’s going to be a difference between one and five, there always is. But it it’s going to be a positive thing.”