The main event for the Knicks offseason occurs on Tuesday night, when the NBA Draft Lottery takes place in Chicago. Patrick Ewing will try to bring the Knicks the luck they need to win the lottery, something they haven't done since they drafted Ewing first overall back in 1985.
The Celtics getting eliminated Wednesday night is not nearly as consequential for the Knicks, but it is still a potentially important domino in the Knicks' offseason. Kyrie Irving is going to be a free agent this offseason, and since declaring at a preseason fan fest that "I plan on re-signing here next year", his fate has become far less clear.
In January Irving called out his teammates. "The young guys don't know what it takes to be a championship level team," he said. "What it takes every day. And if they think it is hard now, what do they think it will be like when we're trying to get to the Finals? There were no expectations last year. Everyone played free and easy. Everyone surpassed whatever they expected for themselves. This year? We all have high expectations. The players, the coaches, everyone. And that's good, but we aren't doing it yet. We can get there. We've got to be better. I've got to be better. We need to win these games on the road. That's on me as a leader. I need to be a better leader and to help get us there."
By February, he was telling Knicks beat reporters about his free agency plans this summer. "Ask me July 1," he said. "It really comes down to what is best for me and my family."
There have long been rumors that Irving would want to return to the tri-state area, and play close to where he grew up in East Orange, New Jersey. With the Knicks and Nets both holding enough cap space for a max player, they are both potential destinations if Irving does decide to leave the Celtics.
The Celtics early second-round departure from the playoffs is far more likely to hasten his flight than prevent it. His odd quotes after the Celtics' Game 4 loss on Monday about his shooting struggles in the series couldn't have gone over well in Boston
'Who cares? I'm a basketball player,'' he said courtesy of NBA.com. ''I'm trying to do it all. For me, the 22 shots - I should have shot 30."
Gordon Hayward's slow recovery from a catastrophic leg injury, along with regression from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, have much more to do with the Celtics underachieving this year than Irving's play on the court. Did his presence, however, help lead to their backslide? Did he cast such a large shadow with his presence, comments and attitude that those promising young players just couldn't play their way out from under it?
There seems to be a schism that has formed between Irving and his teammates that might lead him to what he perceives as greener pastures elsewhere. Irving transferred in high school despite winning state championships with his first school. He wasn't happy in Cleveland playing with LeBron. Now he isn't happy as the lead guy on a young and talented Celtics team. The Knicks should be asking themselves whether he would be happy in New York.
There are risks with Irving between the ears. His "flat-earth" nonsense from a few years ago shows how he likes to be different, and his quotes this year shows how he can speak his mind about basketball issues a bit too openly and frequently in unhelpful ways. His constant knee injuries are another red flag.
Without another star coming along with him, Irving might not be the right fit for the Knicks, especially given how he failed to bond with a far more skilled and accomplished set of young players in Boston. If his presence brings another star, whether Durant or Kawhi Leonard, then the risk is worth it. If he is going to be the team's best player on an otherwise young team, the bad might outweigh the good.
Besides Irving himself, the Celtics' elimination and Irving's potential departure could have an even more meaningful impact on the trade market for Anthony Davis.
If Irving was secure on their roster, the Celtics could far more comfortably offer draft picks and some of the younger players on their team, such as Tatum and/or Brown, to acquire Davis and pair him with Irving. But if Irving decides to leave, Davis would be left without a running mate with star potential in Boston if Tatum is in the package heading to New Orleans.
That arrangement would put Davis in a scenario that's little better than he faced in New Orleans, where he had no help to try to win basketball games. With Davis holding the ability to become a free agent in the summer of 2020, he might decline to re-sign with Boston. Add all those ingredients together, and it is hard to see how the Celtics can make a trade for Davis work that leaves their roster in a good place, and motivate Davis to make Boston his long-term home.
Depending on where the Knicks fall in the NBA Draft Lottery, it might make them front-runners in a potential trade for Anthony Davis. If Durant and Irving agree to come to the Knicks as a superstar pair, and the Knicks wait until after they sign to make the trade (which would have to include their draft pick and nearly all their young players), Davis can actually be added to make all three fit under the team's salary cap.
It's an unlikely dream, but one that feels more likely with the Celtics exiting the playoffs early. Danny Ainge is a creative general manager that will do his best to salvage the best possible roster from Irving's potential departure, but it is not easy to replace the best one-on-one scoring point guard in the NBA. For the Knicks, it means they have another legitimate path to quick relevance, even if Kevin Durant decides not to come to New York. As it should be, the Celtics' loss can very well become the Knicks' gain.
You can find John on Twitter @Schmeelk and you can find his Knicks podcast: The Bank Shot on Radio.com and WFAN. You can subscribe on apple podcasts here.
