As teams complete their seasons, ESPN Insider's NBA team will take a look at the offseason picture and priorities for all 30 teams. Below, Kevin Pelton offers a snapshot of the New York Knicks.
2014-15 record: 17-65
Pythagorean record: 18-64
Offensive rating: 97.1 (29th)
Defensive rating: 107.2 (28th)
Draft picks
Own first-round pick (1st entering lottery)
Projected cap space
Maximum: $27.7 million
Minimum: $0
Likely: $27.4 million
What's returning
Consider the 2015-16 Knicks Carmelo Anthony and the question marks. Anthony was the only New York player with a positive RPM in 2014-15, and the other three players under guaranteed contract rated below replacement level by the metric. For that matter, Anthony's health is something of a question mark coming off a patellar tendon debridement and repair. At least the Knicks can count on him for effective play when on the court -- something that can't be said of anyone else on the roster.
Jose Calderon was the biggest disappointment on a roster full of them, missing 40 games due to injury and making a career-low 41.5 percent of his 2-point attempts. Calderon, who will turn 34 by the time training camp comes, may be a candidate for the stretch provision if New York can't find a taker for the final season of his contract.
In his second year, Tim Hardaway Jr. slipped to 34.2 percent from 3-point range, not good enough for a player who is a liability elsewhere. And 2014 second-round pick Cleanthony Early found it difficult to get consistent minutes even after Anthony's injury. The most productive Knicks rookie was undrafted guard Langston Galloway, who looked like a keeper after being called up from the D-League midseason.
Free agents
Two-thirds of the New York roster will likely hit free agency, and it's unclear how many of those players might return. Andrea Bargnani could be back at a major discount, and Alexey Shved was a bright spot before a rib contusion ended his season. Journeymen Lou Amundson and Lance Thomas did a nice job of executing the triangle offense at the cost of outside shooting and shot creation. And Cole Aldrich, Quincy Acy and Shane Larkin are still young enough to potentially develop into contributors somewhere.
Biggest need: talent
The Knicks were so woeful at both ends it's difficult to isolate a single biggest need. More than anything, New York needs NBA-caliber talent, which was sorely lacking on last season's roster. That will start with the Knicks' first lottery pick since taking Jordan Hill in 2009, but even that and nearly $30 million in cap space will bring only so many contributors. Despite coach Derek Fisher's optimism about a quick turnaround, this looks like a multiyear effort.
Biggest question: Are the Knicks comfortable rebuilding?
Impatience has been New York's biggest obstacle to long-term success over the past decade-plus. While other teams have cycled between competing and adding young talent, the Knicks have settled for chasing past-their-prime veterans and overpaid sub-stars. This year's lottery pick gives New York the chance to add a foundational player for years to come, which is why the prospect of the Knicks trading the pick for a veteran is so disconcerting.
At the same time, New York's best player (Anthony) will be 31 in May and is signed through 2019. Unless the Knicks are willing to trade Anthony -- an unlikely prospect -- they'll be straddling a tightrope between building for the future and building around Anthony while he's still capable of carrying a team.
Ideal offseason
Kevin Love opts out of his contract and reveals a heretofore unknown fondness for the triangle offense. Anthony returns at full health and the Knicks win the lottery and draft Karl-Anthony Towns to provide the kind of defensive cover an Anthony-Love duo would require. By playing through the frontcourt, New York is able to cover the deficiencies of shoot-first guards such as Galloway and Hardaway. The 2015-16 Knicks make an unexpected playoff run like the 2014-15 Milwaukee Bucks while incorporating young talent.