Analyzing Leon Rose's time as Knicks president (thus far)

Sustained success has proven to be elusive for the past two decades for the Knicks franchise. The last time the Knicks won a playoff series in two consecutive seasons was in 1999 and 2000.

Under president of basketball operations Leon Rose, New York has made the playoffs twice in the past three seasons and won a playoff series for the first time in 10 years.

Rose will be entering his fourth full season in the role. It seems like the right time to take a look at what he’s been able to accomplish.

When Rose took over during the middle of the 2019-20 NBA season, the Knicks were a mess. After failing to sign Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the previous Knicks regime led by Steve Mills opted to sign veterans Julius Randle, Marcus Morris Sr. and Bobby Portis to short-term deals.

With lottery picks like Frank Ntilikina and Kevin Knox failing at the time, New York had no direction as a franchise, finishing 21-45 that year.

A former agent, Rose has brought some stability and direction to the roster in ways that we haven’t seen in decades for the franchise.

First, he hired head coach Tom Thibodeau. Though Thibodeau has his warts such as rotation choices or a bland offense, he’s established a gritty culture and identity with the Knicks. And Thibodeau has also helped in the development of Randle who has made the All-NBA team twice in the past three years.

Rose has hit several singles and doubles in transactions. There were the draft machinations to acquire the picks that became Immanuel Quickley and Quentin Grimes in 2020 and 2021, respectively.

The home run Rose did hit was the signing of Jalen Brunson to a four-year, $104 million contract last summer. A move that was somewhat criticized at the time, Brunson has become a star at the position and carried New York’s offense in the postseason.

Rose has also made other good moves throughout the years, such as acquiring Josh Hart at the 2023 trade deadline and acquiring Derrick Rose from the Detroit Pistons for a second-round pick in February 2021.

The head-scratchers

Even with the positives, there have been some decisions that haven’t worked out. During the summer of 2021, the Knicks signed guards Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier to contracts of two years, $18 million, and four years, $73 million, respectively.

The signings were meant to address a limited Knicks offense that stagnated in a 4-1 first-round series loss to the Atlanta Hawks in 2021. The move to address a weakness backfired as Walker was benched before being shut down halfway through the next season and led to him being a salary dump in a trade during the summer of 2022.

Fournier hasn’t worked out either. The sharpshooter was benched for most of the last season and is expected to be used as a trade chip before his contract expires in 2024.

Other moves that have failed include drafting of Obi Toppin eighth overall in 2020 and the 2022 acquisition of Cam Reddish from the Hawks.

Toppin was never able to find consistent minutes behind Randle, and the Knicks dealt the power forward this summer to the Indiana Pacers for a pair of second-round picks.

The Knicks sent a protected first-round pick from Charlotte to Atlanta for Reddish. The pick is top-14 protected in 2024 and 2025 and turns into a 2026 and 2027 second if not conveyed. Reddish was later dealt to Portland with a first-round pick in the Hart deal.

The elephant in the room

Though Rose has built the Knicks into a respectable team with some flexibility to pivot, his tenure will ultimately be judged by if the Knicks can acquire a superstar or field a championship contender through this current roster.

Instead of throwing assets at any superstar that has become available, New York has been more selective about what players it wants to pursue.

The Knicks have been attached to stars on the trade market the past few years, including Donovan Mitchell, Damian Lillard and Paul George but have not made a deal yet.

So far, that strategy has worked. But the team will have to make decisions as the current roster becomes more expensive. Quickley is eligible for an extension now and Grimes will be eligible next summer.

Also, how does team owner James Dolan feel about the team’s lack of a big name?

After Hart’s contract extension with the Knicks last week, the Knicks seem done with significant moves for the roster. But the team has positioned itself for a big move in the future, which will always be looming.