NEW YORK _ When the trade deadline passed Thursday afternoon, the Knicks didn't pull off any last-minute deals, content to let the stunning Kristaps Porzingis deal swung a week earlier stand as the next step in their rebuild.
The Knicks' immediate moves now will be to negotiate buyouts for players who they could not find a trading partner to move out. They began that process about two hours after the deadline when they officially waived Enes Kanter and Wes Matthews.
Kanter had worn out his usefulness on the court as the 10-43 Knicks have decided to head in another direction, and had tested the team's patience off it with his constant chatter about playing time, political issues and even clapping along with fans chanting for him to play.