As both the United States and Canada wait to hear Kawhi Leonard’s free agency decision, the New York Knicks find themselves as a laughingstock in North America.
New York was said to be in the market for at least one of the elite free agents available on the market. It missed out on both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, who decided to team up on the Brooklyn Nets.
Meanwhile, the Knicks never got a meeting with Leonard. At least, that’s the narrative we’ve seen thrown around in recent days.
According to this report from Marc Berman of the NY Post, it’s actually the Knicks who backed out of a meeting with the reigning NBA Finals MVP.
“According to a source, Leonard agreed to meet with the Knicks, but not until Wednesday after finishing with the Clippers and Lakers,” Berman reported. “That plan was scratched by Knicks’ brass over logistics.”
New York was apparently concerned that if it waited for the Leonard situation to play out, the team would miss out on its other free-agent targets.
By the time Leonard started taking meetings, New York had already exhausted $70 million on the likes of Julius Randle, Taj Gibson and Bobby Portis. Ouch!
The Knicks might not have had a real chance to land Leonard after Durant chose Brooklyn. Even then, the team decided against shooting its shot.
While the Clippers and Lakers might strike out in their attempt to acquire Leonard, at least they are going for the homer. These Knicks seem to be bunting with two outs and nobody on base.