The Knicks’ new president, Steve Mills, didn’t take a lie detector test, but he vowed he would have drafted point guard Frank Ntilikina with the eighth pick if he had final say.
Sources told The Post that Phil Jackson and his top adviser, Clarence Gaines Jr., were hot and heavy for the 18-year-old Frenchman. Ntilikina didn’t play in the Orlando summer league because of a knee injury he suffered in the French League finals one day after the draft.
On the board when the Knicks came to bat on June 22 were N.C. State’s stud point guard, Dennis Smith Jr., who lit up the Las Vegas summer league, Louisville’s Donovan Mitchell, who also excelled at summer league, and Kentucky shooting guard Malik Monk. Jackson was fired four days after the draft.
The Post reported Mills flew to France in late April to watch the 6-foot-5 Ntilikina, who has a 7-foot wingspan.
“I went over, I talked to our scouts a lot about Frank before the draft. I went over and watched Frank play prior to the draft, met with Frank’s coaches and learned a lot about who he is as a player and who he is as a person,’’ Mills said. “So I’m very comfortable with that draft pick. I would have selected Frank at that point in the draft myself. He’s a guy that fits in everything that we’re talking about right now. He’s a smart basketball player. He focuses defensively and his approach to the game, his work ethic, fit exactly in the direction that we want to take this team.’’
New Knicks general manager Scott Perry, working for Sacramento at the time, claimed he liked Ntilikina, too. The Kings tabbed point guard De’Aaron Fox at No. 5. Perry said the Knicks “need’’ to add a veteran at that position for Ntilikina.
“We didn’t think he was a 5, but we were very interested,’’ Perry noted on ESPN Radio on Monday.
The Knicks have just $1.5 million in cap room, but sources told The Post they would like to add a veteran point guard via trade. The Post reported the Knicks inquired about Eric Bledsoe. According to a Phoenix radio station, the Suns countered with Brandon Knight.
Derrick Rose hasn’t signed, but he’s still looking for big money. A Carmelo Anthony trade could reopen cap space.
“I think we need to — I’m going to continue to assess the roster,’’ Perry said. “I’m excited about young Frank, but also I think we’ll need some veteran guidance. But whoever that will be, we’ll find out who that will be in the days and weeks to come … but you definitely want to bolster that position. I look at point guard, when you talk about young players, especially young rookie guys coming in the league, it’s important to have a veteran alongside him to help in the mentorship alongside Jeff and his staff’s mentorship.”
For the first time, Mills explained his generous, four-year, $71 million signing of their former first-rounder, Tim Hardaway Jr.
“Tim was the first phone call that I made at 12:02,’’ Mills said.
Hardaway, 25, was a restricted free agent, and the Knicks didn’t want to be like the Nets — have their contract offer matched. The Knicks gave Hardaway $17.75 million per year.
“We watched him in our opinion grow over his time in the player development program that they had in Atlanta,’’ Mills said. “We felt like there are not that many opportunities in free agency that you have the opportunity to go after a 25-year-old. We made the decision that if you want to pry a restricted free agent away from the incumbent team, you have to be aggressive. So we made a decision to be aggressive. As we look at the numbers, we believe Tim is a starting 2 guard in this league. The capability of being a starting 2 guard for the rest of his career and those guys average $16 [million], $16.5 million.’’