I wonder about trying it Miami Heat style: Trade everybody. Just start over. Trade Porzingis with Noah. Clear the books as much as possible. I'm pretty sure if they ever pulled it off in a good free agent year, they would immediately sign the best 3 free agents, and then get to pick the right guys at the right price around them, meaning guys who valued winning over money (since there wouldn't be any) like the Warriors are doing.
2019 might be the offseason to try something like that. (Hello, Memphis). And New York City is a heck of a draw, like South Beach and LA. Those are probably the 3 easiest NBA cities to lure players, so long as the team isn't garbage.
Isaiah's dumbest theory as Knicks GM was thinking the team was so rich they could overpay their roster even in the cap era and still make money. He should have figured the opposite: they're in NYC, and there is a salary cap, so maybe they could get players on a discount to come to NY, enjoy the life, and make it up in marketing deals (and playoff money).
Anyway, y'all have been all over NYK's payroll. Is it doable?