The Knicks have swung and missed with two-thirds of the big three that led Wichita State to a No. 1 seed in the 2014 NCAA tournament.

Could they round out the trifecta this summer and find the answer to their never-ending point guard problem while they’re at it?

Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet arrived at the Garden on Friday in the midst of a career season at an opportune time. He will be an unrestricted free agent this summer at the age of 26, headlining a class at that position that also includes Jeff Teague, Jordan Clarkson and veteran Goran Dragic, but not much else behind them. It puts VanVleet in line for a big payday — certainly a major raise from the $9 million he is earning this season — though it remains to be seen who will dish out the money.

VanVleet, who had 16 points, nine assists and no turnovers in the Raptors’ 118-112 win over the Knicks on Friday, expressed hope earlier this season that “in a perfect world” he would stay with the Raptors after helping them win a championship last June. But the Knicks could have something to say about that if they choose to pursue VanVleet with their cap space — perhaps even more so if they are somehow able to lure Raptors president Masai Ujiri away from Toronto.

“I think Freddie really took a big step forward in the playoffs last year late,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said before facing the Knicks. “He had some humongous games, obviously finished it off with the Game 6 in the finals [against] Golden State, hitting all those shots in the fourth quarter. He came back on campus, so to speak, this year as almost a different person, just a much more confident guy. … He never was unconfident, but — you know what I mean? — he just had a different feel about him.

“So I just think that going through all that stuff, some ups and downs and working your way through it, working on a few little things here and there that he thought he needed to improve on and he did those in the summer, he came back and he’s reaping some of the benefits of that.”

VanVleet began his rise last season while averaging 11 points and 4.8 assists per game as a part-time starter. He started slowly in the playoffs, but saved his best for last, pouring in 22 points and playing pesky defense against the Warriors’ Stephen Curry in the Raptors’ Finals-clinching Game 6 win.

This season, VanVleet has started all 35 games in which he has appeared, including Friday. He came into the game averaging 18.5 points and 6.8 assists. He took over the point guard duties by himself early in the season as Kyle Lowry recovered from a thumb injury, but they play alongside each other when both are healthy.

Ujiri has had a front-row seat to VanVleet’s development from undrafted guard out of Wichita State — where he starred with former Knicks Cleanthony Early and Ron Baker — to key part of the franchise’s first championship. He is just one of many on the Raptors roster who have grown through their strong player-development program.

“I’ve been here. This is the team that gave me my chance, I think we understand that,” VanVleet said on the Toronto sports radio show “Tim and Sid” in October. “I’m not gonna speak too much on free agency this year just ’cause it’s a business and I have to do what’s best for me and my family.

“But, I mean, I’ve been on record about how I feel about this place. This organization knows how I feel about this place. So in a perfect world, we know what would happen.”

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