3 things to expect from the New York Knicks ahead of the trade deadline

The New York Knicks are once again enduring a miserable season. The Knicks will miss out on the NBA postseason for a sixth consecutive year, and the team's performances on the court continue to get worst. The Knicks currently hold a record of 10-42, which is the worst in the NBA, and David Fizdale's men have lost 13 consecutive games.

Nevertheless, despite the franchise's current woes, the Knicks are gearing up to be major players during the 2019 offseason. The team is desperate to bring one of the NBA's top talents to the team, and the Knicks have been heavily linked with Kevin Durant.

Due to this, the Knicks are actively seeking to trade away their highest earners, and just last week, the team decided to send Kristaps Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks. The Knicks are likely to be among the most active teams during the final 48 hours of the trade window, and here are three things that we expect from the franchise.

#3 Senior departures

Matthews arrived in the Porzingis' trade

Over the last few years, the New York Knicks have been looking to rid themselves of the large salaries on their roster. The team has successfully achieved this by moving the likes of Carmelo Anthony, and the team were also able to offload Tim Hardaway Jr's huge salary in the shock deal that took Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas.

Nevertheless, a number of high earners remain on the roster, and according to Marc Stein of the New York Times, Wes Matthews, is one of the players that the Knicks want to move on.

While the Knicks may not be able to move Matthews ahead of the deadline, the team has already achieved their main goal of trading away Hardaway Jr's multi-year deal.

#2 Knicks continue to gear up for a major summer

The Knicks are ready to make way for Kevin Durant

While the Knicks currently have the worst record in the NBA, the team's management won't care too much, as the franchise has long been planning for the summer of 2019. The Knicks have long signalled their intentions to lure one of the biggest stars in the NBA, and there is no turning back now that the team has traded away Porzingis to Dallas.

The Knick's recent business has created enough cap space to sign two max-level stars this summer, and the franchise's number one target is widely believed to be Durant, who has repeatedly stated his ambition to front his own team.

While the Knicks may make a few additions to the roster this week, the players bought in will either have expiring deals or will be on low contracts, and every move the Knicks make will have the summer of 2019 in mind.

#1 The Enes Kanter situation rumbles on

The New York Knicks are already well out of playoff contention, and in recent months, the team has understandably looked to develop their younger players. Nevertheless, this has left a number of experienced players frustrated with their current situation, among them Enes Kanter, who has repeatedly expressed his desire to leave the Knicks due to a lack of game time.

The Knicks themselves have told Kanter that he can leave, although the team is not willing to take on any big salaries in return for Kanter. The former OKC Thunder man is earning $18.6 million for the 2018/19 season, and at this price, there will be few takers around the NBA, as Kanter possesses a limited skill set and is widely perceived as a defensive liability.

Ultimately, New York are going to have an incredibly difficult time in moving the Turkish centre, and due to Kanter's reluctance to accept a buyout, he is likely to stick around until the summer.