The New York Knicks have contacted the majority of teams in the late lottery, desperately trying to move back.
Whether or not they strike a deal is unknown, with the NBA draft set to commence at 8 PM.
Nonetheless, the team is making calls, packaging their first-round picks together as a selling point. Several partners are in the mix, but they haven’t nibbled at the bait the Knicks have cast out. Teams know that New York wants to move up, so they are waiting patiently until they’re willing to give more — a rather productive tactic.
Three teams the Knicks have connected with gauging a trade back:
1.) Golden State
According to Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report, the Knicks have been rejected from the Warriors:
“A source says the Knicks have made calls to late-lottery teams about trading up. I’m told the Warriors turned down Nos. 19 and 21 for No. 14. The Knicks don’t have strong enough draft assets to get into the top 10, and now it seems like a long shot they can get into the late lottery.â€
It seems the 19 and 21 overall picks don’t hold much value, as the majority of top prospects will be off the board by then. Reports have indicated that the front office is targeting Chris Duarte out of Oregon or Davion Mitchell out of Baylor. Duarte could be in play at 19, but the Baylor stand-out has a slim chance of plummeting to the 20s.
2.) Indiana Pacers
According to Marc Berman of the NY Post, the Knicks have contacted the Pacers at 13 to gauge interest in a trade back:
According to NBA sources, the Knicks have talked not just to Golden State about moving up, but also to the Pacers, who have the 13th pick. The Knicks are trying to package their two first-round picks but may also have to add more draft capital (they have a total of 20 picks through 2026).
Since the Knicks’ quest to move up to 14 didn’t work, now they’re on to the Indiana Pacers, offering the same package for an even higher selection. At the end of the day, New York might have to give up their two first-round picks and early 2nd round (32) to move up into the lottery, something they would like to avoid.
3.) Charlotte Hornets
According to ESPN insider and NBA Draft expert Chad Ford, the Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder are the two teams Charlotte has connected with regarding a trade back. The Hornets are looking to move back and add more picks, but the Thunders have the upper hand with both the 16 and 18th overall picks.
The Hornets are even higher with the 11th pick, so there’s no question all three first-rounders would have to be in play in this scenario.
The good news, Charlotte actually wants to move back in the draft and collect more capital, something the Knicks do contain. It all depends on how much they value their selections over Oklahoma’s.