The Knicks have been careful _ other than the owner _ to soften expectations for their summer makeover. While James Dolan went on the radio recently and confidently expressed his belief that the stars of free agency will come and have already indicated to the team of their intentions, team president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry have tried to explain all of the optimistic paths that the Knicks future can take.
In the hours after trading away Kristaps Porzingis, a deal that allowed the team to open up two max salary cap slots, the front office executives tried to temper the talk of Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving and instead look at the big picture _ and relieve the pressure that will press firmly on their shoulders this summer.
"I think this is still in line with what we've talked about from the beginning," Perry said. "We talked about building with young players, building through the draft. We get back an exciting young player in the deal. We get back two future draft picks and then the fact that we do have some financial flexibility. I think if you study teams over the course of building like we're doing, financial flexibility is an important part of that so that you can be opportunistic as you move forward."
