The Knicks have long been one of the NBA’s most volatile teams, and based on the moves the club made during the summer, that only figures to continue this season, which gets under way Tuesday night in Cleveland against the champion Cavaliers.

It’s difficult to call a 32-win season a success, but the Knicks were on a steady upswing last season after striking gold with Latvian forward Kristaps Porzingis. They might even have been good enough to make the playoffs this season through internal growth alone. But the front office...