Knicks’ Latest Statement On George Floyd, Racial Injustice Unlikely To Help In Free Agency

The latest statement from Knicks and Rangers owner James Dolan regarding George Floyd and racial injustice is unlikely to do the Knicks any favors on the free agency front.

After failing to issue a public statement in the wake of Floyd’s murder at the hands of Minneapolis police, Dolan and MSG issued a generic statement on Tuesday that did not mention either Floyd by name or the Black Lives Matter movement.

The statement was widely criticized on social media and by the media.

“The way the Knicks have elected to handle this has frustrated, angered, disappointed everyone involved with the NBA, including people who work for that organization,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on SportsCenter.

“This is a company that has already struggled with its top man’s James Dolan’s decision-making. He is infamous for making poor judgements. He has hired many people in recent years, including new President Leon Rose to help him make better judgements, yet he continues to make poor judgements. One of the reasons why he revamped his entire front office was because he couldn’t get star players like Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant to respect the organization enough to consider them in free agency.

“I have to tell you, while everybody’s opinion on this sensitive topic can be different, they have made zero strides in that direction, especially with the way they’ve handled this situation.”

Durant, who chose the rival Nets over the Knicks and other teams, has already said the Knicks aren’t “cool” and this latest development surely isn’t in tune with the times.

The loaded 2021 free agency class includes LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and Gordon Hayward.

Dolan recently sent employees two emails on the Floyd situation, the second one to “clarify” the first.

“So let me be clear,” Dolan wrote. “We vehemently condemn and reject racism against anyone, period.”

Dolan added, “Racism is born of ignorance.’’

It is worth pointing out that Dolan’s franchise at one point had an African-American President in Steve Mills and GM in Scott Perry. Mills has since been reassigned within the organization and replaced by Leon Rose, while Perry was extended through next season.

Meantime, several Knicks players have voiced support for the protest movement in person and on social media, including Dennis Smith Jr., Kevin Knox, Julius Randle, Damyean Dotson and Taj Gibson.