Phil Jackson’s fire sale occurred nearly one year ago and the Knicks have lived to tell about it.

Last Jan. 5, Jackson waived starting center Samuel Dalembert and sent Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith packing to Cleveland in a three-team trade, breaking up the 5-34 Knicks.

The decision was shaped as a tanking maneuver, but Jackson got roundly criticized for not getting enough back for the Knicks’ two prime guards.

Looking back, with the Knicks visiting Quicken Loans Arena Wednesday, the deal doesn’t look so bad after all.

The Knicks positioned themselves to gain a high lottery pick that netted rookie Kristaps Porzingis, and two of the throw-in pieces, Lance Thomas and Lou Amundson, are still around. Thomas has emerged as their most-improved player — a key part to their 14-15 start as their trustiest reserve.

Carmelo Anthony took the trade hard back then, as he lost his two best friends on the squad. But even Anthony is now singing the praises of Thomas, who led the team in scoring in Monday’s loss to Orlando when he went 9-of-9 from the field, becoming one of their best 3-point shooters and defenders.

“I already knew Lance from competing against him when he came here,’’ Anthony said. “He’s one of those guys I would go to war with, win, lose or draw, if I had Lance out there with me. I know his heart, his focus level. I know how committed he is to winning and doing the right things.’’

Shumpert and Smith played integral roles in helping LeBron James and the Cavaliers make the NBA Finals. But their second season hasn’t been as grand. Smith has struggled, shooting 38 percent, and Shumpert has played just three games, recently returning from a broken wrist, only to injure his groin.

After missing the first two Knicks-Cavs meetings in November, Shumpert will play Wednesday, but he’s receiving more acclaim for last week delivering his baby girl in his bathroom when his fiancée suddenly went into labor.

“That’s my hero, man,’’ Anthony said. “I texted him that he’s my hero. That’s a special moment that goes beyond basketball. That’s a beautiful thing.’’

At the Cavaliers’ practice facility Tuesday, Shumpert talked about his delivery for the first time.

“Honestly, I did a good job catching her and getting her calm enough for my fiancée to push it out,’’ Shumpert said. “I just had the easy job of catching her. I was hoping the EMS would get there faster. They didn’t. I got good hands.’’

Though he misses his friends, Anthony has moved on, averaging 3.6 assists per game. (His career high for a season is 3.8.)

According to sources, Jackson didn’t feel Smith and Shumpert possessed the maturity level to succeed in New York long-term and had no plans to re-sign either; Smith had an opt-out. In an online series, Jackson said Smith had shown “delinquent behavior,’’ specifically missing or being late for team meetings.

“We made the decision,’’ Knicks coach Derek Fisher said. “It seems like it’s worked out well for both. J.R. and Shump, they seem happy. We like our team as it is at this point. I think our team would be OK if they were here or not because of what [habits] we’re doing every day.’’

Anthony is enjoying the new group that got a summer face-lift, trusting his teammates more each game.

“I find teams now double-teaming me a lot more than they have in the past,’’ Anthony said. “It’s because they’re saying, ‘Don’t let him beat us. Let somebody else beat us.’ We got to trust that guys are going to make plays. Now guys are in the right position to make shots, guys are spacing out. It’s not just Lance but everybody.’’

Fisher said he sees Anthony willing to share the scoring load more and believes Anthony has the attributes to post a triple-double on any given night.

“There’s always correlation between trust and assists,’’ Fisher said. “This group of guys have taken seriously the idea about camaraderie and being a band of brothers, so to speak, is important to them.”