10 bold predictions for 2019 NBA free agency

9. The New York Knicks won’t land any big fish

Just over a month ago, the New York Knicks were sitting pretty. Kevin Durant was almost certainly joining the mix, he’d be bringing Kyrie Irving with him, and the Knicks were either going to win the rights to Zion Williamson in the NBA Draft Lottery, or they were going to combine their picks with young assets to make a play on Anthony Davis. It almost seemed preordained by the basketball gods.

Unfortunately, the Knicks fell to No. 3 in the draft order, didn’t make a move for AD and then watched as KD tore his Achilles in Game 5 of the NBA Finals — opening the door to a return to Golden State, and making it more difficult for Durant to potentially recruit free agents to the Big Apple when he’ll essentially be redshirting for the 2019-20 season.

The Nets and Warriors feel like frontrunners for KD. The Knicks expect to get a meeting with Kawhi, but the Raptors, Lakers and Clippers all have better cases for the reigning Finals MVP. Kemba is going to Boston. Kyrie is almost certainly joining the Nets. So far, the biggest fallback options have been DeMarcus Cousins, Julius Randle and Terry Rozier.

After the Kristaps Porzingis trade freed up space for two max cap slots, the Knicks are likely going to wind up punting on their dreams of assembling a superstar-laden contender, and roll everything over to next summer with high-priced, one-year contracts to preserve cap space for 2020.