NBA Rumors: Knicks Close To Pulling The Plug On Former Top Pick

The New York Knicks have officially ended another disastrous season, meaning a rebuild is set to take place yet again. With their youth movement plans falling apart, the Knicks are expected to undergo an overhaul once more. The problem is that they still don't have a head coach as of this writing. Mike Miller is serving on an interim capacity and team president Leon Rose is expected to select a new one soon. Among the names linked to the Knicks include Tom Thibodeau, Jeff Van Gundy, Kenny Atkinson and Mike Woodson.

Until that is resolved, several players need to wait and see if they will still be around next season. One player that could be on his way out is Kevin Knox. The future of the 20-year-old forward is up in the air and there is the growing belief that New York may be giving up on him, The Athletic reported. The Knicks do not see him as one of the essential cornerstones, meaning the 9th overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft may be playing for another team next season.

Knox has already played two seasons with the Knicks and his performance is far from impressive. In 140 games, the 6-foot-7 player has averaged only 9.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1 assist in 23.7 minutes of action. His game took a dip this season compared to 2018-19. He averaged 6.4 points and 2.8 rebounds in 17.9 minutes of action per Basketball-Reference.com.

Regardless of the Knicks name their new head coach soon or not, it appears Knox's time in Gotham has come to a close. One thing positive about him is that he is still young and can still improve. There is no telling if New York continues to be patient and see if their new coach can put him to good use.

However, that could be overturned by Rose. In a report from the New York Post, the Knicks president is reportedly not sold on Knox and was planning to assess him in the team's final 16 games. But as most know, that all hit a snag due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

So far, no team has expressed interest in Knox who has been criticized for playing soft. After an impressive Summer League stint after he was drafted, things have just not been the same. He is set to earn $4.6 million in his third year. From the looks of it, Knox will likely be part of a trade by the Knicks on potential targets they have in mind.