Knicks Mailbag: How much will roster change in Leon Rose's first offseason?

Here's our weekly Knicks mailbag with SNY's NBA Insider Ian Begley...

Before we get to the other questions, here’s where I believe things stand with the coaching search as of early Wednesday afternoon: the Knicks have finished formal interviews with all known candidates. It’s unclear if there will be another round of interviews with a select group of candidates. If there are no more interviews, you’d think that the Knicks may make a decision in the coming days. 

Agents and coaches with a vested interest in the Knicks’ search have long seen Tom Thibodeau as the most-likely hire for Leon Rose & Co. If it isn’t Thibodeau, it’s worth noting that Kenny Atkinson, Mike Woodson and Jason Kidd all have support at Madison Square Garden.

@MrDelimehic - How much changes can we expect from Knicks in the next few seasons, and what should we expect from Leon Rose and his front office? Greetings from Croatia!

Kako si! In general, whenever new management takes over, there’s roster turnover. I think that will be the case with Rose and his group. I can’t say with any certainty which players from the 2019-20 roster will be here next season. Opposing teams would be surprised if the Knicks picked up Bobby Portis’ 2020-21 player option, but there are several months before New York needs to make that decision. Regarding the rest of the roster, I don’t think that there are any Knicks players – or first-round picks – who would be off limits in trade talks if the right player became available.

In general, my guess is that Rose and the Knicks will be aggressive in pursuing trades for young, talented players if the opportunity presents itself. I’d also guess that the club will have a significant number of veterans on the roster next season, in part in an effort to surround the younger players with knowledge and experience.

I’d be surprised if we saw a Knick roster/rotation next season filled exclusively by young players with little to no NBA experience.

@washedstar -Do you see the Knicks trading up in this draft or do you think they stay put and bring in three rookies?

I think it’s hard to answer that question answer until we get to the NBA Lottery. Because until we know the order of the draft, it’s tough to even speculate on how much it would cost New York – or any other team – to trade up into the top three or four spots in the draft. We know that some teams believe LaMelo Ball and his circle would prefer to land in New York. The Knicks had Ball as the top point guard on their board weeks ago. We don’t know if the club is open to trading up to acquire the guard.

@Kameel888 - What are the chances you see us trading up for LaMelo if we fall to 6, 7 or 8? Is a realistic trade Knox, this year’s first and one of the Mavs picks enough to get it done?

A few weeks ago, the Knicks had Ball at the top of their draft board among point guards. I don’t have any insight into if they’d be open to trading up for him. Until we know the teams at the top of the draft, it’s tough to even speculate what kind of package it would take to move up.

@KobeBeanBurner - Is there any truth to the rumblings that LaVar Ball is trying to pull the strings behind the scenes to get his son to New York? And, will the Knicks try to make it happen even if they stay at number six?

The New York Post had reported that people around the league believe LaVar Ball would try to pull the strings to get LaMelo Ball to New York. I don’t know if that’s true or not and I don’t know how LaVar would be able to influence the draft in a way that lands LaMelo in New York. Maybe they can decline to interview with other teams or withhold medical information from other teams in an effort to get Ball to New York. But I don’t know how they could keep a team ahead of the Knicks from taking Ball.

@ayoopierre - what are your thoughts on DSJ’s future with the Knicks

I think it depends, in part, on what the Knicks do in the offseason re: point guards. Do they draft a point guard? Do they sign one in free agency? Do they trade for one? As noted during the season, some in the Knicks organization believe Chris Paul can make an immediate impact on their effort to build a winning culture. If the Knicks acquire a point guard in the offseason, you’d think that will factor in to their decisions on Elfrid Payton (team option for 2020-21), Frank Ntilikina and Dennis Smith Jr. Smith Jr. and Ntilikina are entering the final year of their rookie contracts.

@hr10257 - What is the FO’s feelings on Dotson? Are they interested in re-signing him to a multi-year bargain deal?

I’ll answer that question with a question: would Damyean Dotson accept a multi-year bargain deal? I’d expect Dotson to draw significant interest in free agency this offseason. If we did this mailbag before Rose took over, I’d guess that Dotson would at the very least be extended the qualifying offer by New York. I still think the Knicks will do that, but I don’t have any specific intel to share regarding the current front office’s thoughts on Dotson.

@flashXO - Any truth to the “Knicks were Lebron’s first choice during free agency in 2010 before a disastrous meeting”, as claimed by Bill Simmons?

Dwyane Wade has said he, Chris Bosh and James didn’t seriously consider the Knicks, so I don’t think that this was the case. My understanding in the aftermath of the whole thing is that James didn’t have strong connections to the people running the Knicks at the time.

@dr_dreeeeeee - Why can’t the NY teams be successful?

Is this about the Knicks or the Nets? Either way, I definitely blame the media : )

Thanks for your questions, everyone. Much appreciated. If I didn't answer your question here or in a video, I will try my best to get to it in a future mailbag or video.