How the Failed 2019 Summer Built the 2026 New York Knicks

The wait is finally over.

For the first time since 1999, the New York Knicks are back in the NBA Finals where they will play either the San Antonio Spurs or the Oklahoma City Thunder.

And right now, this is just the culmination of a complete revival of a once storied organization.

The Knicks in the 1970s were one of the great organizations in the NBA (and is the last decade they captured a championship in) and in the 1990s, they made the NBA Finals twice, but just couldn’t capture that championship.

And then in the 2000s, it really turned into something else entirely. The Knicks were more or less an embarrassment. They had a few competitive years, but even in that Carmelo Anthony era they were never really seen as a serious threat out East to actually win the conference or compete for a title.

New York went through a lot of dark days. A lot of non-hopeful years. Even when they brought in someone like Phil Jackson to help guide the organization back in the right direction, it was a complete failure.

I personally never thought I’d see the Knicks be this competitive at all until around 2018 or 2019. That was supposed to be the turning point. That was supposed to be when it started.

And honestly, what didn’t happen might be what saved them.

If you go back to what this era really traces to, it’s 2019. The Knicks during the 2018–19 season were one of the worst teams in the NBA. This was right after LeBron James went to the Los Angeles Lakers, and all the noise started building around Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving potentially teaming up.

And the obvious landing spot everyone assumed was the Knicks.

Kyrie Irving, obviously a New Jersey native, and Kevin Durant looked very much like he was ready to leave Golden State.

The Knicks had the cap space for two max spots. It felt like it was going to happen.

Then the draft lottery night happened, and the Knicks were expected to land Zion Williamson. Instead, they fell to third and selected RJ Barrett.

And that pick, looking back, actually ended up being very valuable. Zion is a good player, but he has not lived up to the hype at all because of injuries, weight issues, and durability. And I don’t even know if he would’ve handled the pressure in New York.

And then Durant and Kyrie still went to New York… just not the Knicks. They went to the Brooklyn Nets, and it turned into a disaster.

So at the time, Knicks fans were in complete doom and gloom because they didn’t get any of it. But the organization didn’t panic.

They didn’t go out and chase Jimmy Butler or Kemba Walker or any of those free agents just to say they got someone. They stayed patient.

They brought in guys like Julius Randle, and while it was mocked at the time, he turned himself into an All-Star and helped bring them back to the playoffs in 2021. They brought back Derrick Rose to set a culture of hard work.

Leon Rose and Worldwide Wes could’ve panicked, but they didn’t. They stayed patient and built something real.

Then in 2022, perhaps the most important signing in Knicks history.

They landed Jalen Brunson, who right now is making an argument to be one of the greatest Knicks of all time, or at least the most beloved, especially if he finishes this run.

And then they started building around him with guys he wanted to play with like Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges who he went to college with, or get even more players like OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns.

All just hard-working, winning players.

Even the Mikal Bridges trade, giving up five first-round picks, won’t matter if they win a championship.

Because that’s the point now. The Knicks are no longer trying to patch things together. They’re trying to win.

For most of the 2000s, this franchise was a joke. Now they are a legitimate contender.

And what stands out most is the culture shift.

Even after making the conference finals last year, they made a bold coaching change, moving on from Tom Thibodeau, who helped start the culture reset. It was a risky move, but it worked, with Mike Brown stepping in and changing the offense and getting the bench involved.

And I’ve got to say, this is the first time in my basketball-watching life where the Knicks have been like this.

When I was in New York in March, just being around that city and seeing how much people love this team, it changed how I looked at them and made me a Knicks fan.

The atmosphere in and outside of MSG, the energy, the connection between the city and this team, it feels like a reflection of New York itself. Hardworking, doubted, always expected to fall short, but they just keep going.

They keep building. They keep getting better.

And now they’re here.

And I really do hope they finish the job, whether it’s the San Antonio Spurs or the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Because it would just be so cool to see.

And I think this whole culture reset of the Knicks is going to go down as a blessing in disguise.

Because if they had gotten Zion Williamson, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant in 2019… I don’t think the Knicks are here today.