BOSTON — When the Knicks last visited TD Garden in late October, new Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving was asked, after Boston’s rout, why New York was on his summer trade wish list.
“Where is this gonna go?” Irving said. “It’s pretty easy, man. They were on my list for a reason, I think you guys know that. Close to home, that’s about it. I’m not going to go into detail about all that extra stuff because I know where this is going to lead.
“Cameras all here, I know exactly where this is going to go,” Irving added.
It may go toward the summer of 2019, when the Knicks project to have a pile of cap space to net another star to place alongside first-time All-Star Kristaps Porzingis. The Knicks face the Celtics again Wednesday night in Boston, but Irving has been ruled out with an injury.
Irving, a West Orange, NJ, product, will be free in 2019. So will shooting guard Klay Thompson and forward Kawhi Leonard — both legitimate superstars. That makes a 3K free-agent bonanza — Kyrie, Klay, Kawhi — and the Knicks want wings.
As the Feb. 8 trade deadline approaches, the Knicks may not be as active as advertised because they won’t take back a mediocre contract that seeps into the 2019-20 season. By the same token, moving Courtney Lee, whose pact runs to 2020, becomes that much more appealing.
However, the belief is the Knicks will have other opportunities on the Lee front — even if his trade value is decent as he puts up career-high scoring numbers.
Point guard is either a crying need or a position with potential, depending on the polarizing viewpoints of the playmaking incumbents. That Irving was intrigued about coming home last summer is a golden sign for the future, especially if he can’t pull off a Finals berth with Boston this June or next.
Irving is a perfect fit for Porzingis, who will team with him during All-Star Weekend on Team LeBron. He’s a scoring point guard who can lighten the Latvian’s load. There are some league scouts who wonder if Porzingis’ makeup is built to be a franchise’s superstar or second man.
Irving also would be a fantastic fit for Tim Hardaway Jr. to open the court for his 3-balls.
With starter Jarrett Jack seen as more of a one-year rental, the Knicks will look to move into next season with Frank Ntilikina, a 19-year-old project, and newcomer Trey Burke, a 2013 lottery pick who has a non-guaranteed pact for 2018-19. Unless they find a dream deal for the exiled Joakim Noah, they won’t have cap space this summer — just the mid-level exception now worth a healthy $8 million.
Other 2019 free agents include Jimmy Butler, Eric Bledsoe and Kemba Walker, whom the Knicks have not pursued even though he’s on the block.
The significant revelation about Ntilikina is that coach Jeff Hornacek now views the 6-foot-5 rookie more and more as a combo guard who can shift to the 2 with another ballhandler and get through screens to defend opposing shooting guards.
Because he grew up in France, Ntilikina had little daily practice against athletic guards. The French League is made up of a lot of smaller guards who couldn’t make the jump from college to the NBA.
Ntilikina’s learning curve is expected to be longer than, say, a De’Aaron Fox (No. 5 pick, three spots in front of Ntilikina), who played AAU ball and spent a year with one of the nation’s most prestigious college programs in Kentucky.
After a win Tuesday against the Nets, the Knicks, who haven’t made the playoffs the past four seasons, moved within three games of the No. 8 seed. Porzingis said he wants to make a playoff push and not see veterans traded away for draft picks. As The Post reported, management became less enthralled with a full-blown tank with Porzingis’ wishes in mind.
Enes Kanter, coming off his second 20-20 explosion, is having a monstrous season. He has an $18.9 million player option for next season and is not expected to opt out to become a free agent.
Hence, the fire sale some fans may expect can only happen if it helps their cap situation for the Summer of Ky.