Steve Mills, the Knicks’ president of basketball operations, says the team’s reputation among NBA players is changing.
New York plans to have enough cap space to draw at least one max free agent next summer, and Mills assures fans the club will build a winning culture to attract stars.
Knicks president Steve Mills: ""In our circles that we travel and the people that we talk to, we know that there is a change in how people perceive us… We know that the players are talking about New York as a place that, things are different there now." — https://t.co/Eow82TIYjn
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) September 18, 2018
“We’re going to build this team the right way,” Mills says.
Per ESPN:
“In our circles that we travel and the people that we talk to, we know that there is a change in how people perceive us,” Mills said at an event for fans on Monday night. “… We know that the players are talking about New York as a place that, ‘Things are different there now.’ If we do all the things that we’re supposed to do over the course of the year, we’ll be in a good place [to attract free agents].”
The Knicks have won just one playoff series in the past 18 years and garnered negative attention for several off-court issues in recent seasons, including ex-Knick Charles Oakley’s physical removal from Madison Square Garden and the public unraveling of the relationship between ex-team president Phil Jackson and Carmelo Anthony.
“What we’re not going to do is take shortcuts,” said Mills, who was general manager under Jackson. “We’re not going to trade our draft picks. … We’re going to build this team the right way. What we’re not going to do is trade away assets to get a [free agent] that we can go get on our own later.”
