Former Knicks coach David Fizdale said on the Run It Back podcast that he and team management agreed on a plan during the 2018/19 season to lose games to improve their odds of drafting Zion Williamson or Ja Morant.
He added that the organization also indicated that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were expected to join the team in free agency the following summer.
“The plan that we came up with, I was all in on that, and I was like this is the deal and this is the way to go about it. It just didn’t come to fruition,” Fizdale said. “… Losing all them damn games, donating my record to get Zion Williamson or Ja.”
The plan ultimately failed. The Knicks finished 17–65 but landed the third pick in the draft, selecting RJ Barrett, who was later traded to Toronto.
Durant and Irving instead chose to sign with Brooklyn. Fizdale was fired early the following season after the team started 4–18.
Reflecting on it now, Fizdale said he would approach the situation differently.
“If I was doing it over again, I would have fought more to build a team early on and not cash in my record,” he said, adding that tanking should only be done if it leads to something meaningful.
And-Ones: Fizdale, Gambling Trial, VanVleet, Extensions https://t.co/0EmbSQkfL5 pic.twitter.com/uEBn0aT0hG
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) March 5, 2026
