Drafting at no. 4 overall in the 2015 NBA Draft can land the New York Knicks a major prospect. In the ongoing process of meetings, evaluations, and work outs, the Knicks have shown interest in Duke’s Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow, Kentucky’s Willie Cauley-Stein, Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky, Emmanuel Mudiay, Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell, Kristaps plus Murray State’s Cameron Payne and UCLA’s Kevon Looney, who works out with the Knicks this week.
With lots of uncertainty surrounding just what the Knicks intend to do with their pick, ESPN.com’s Chad Ford reports that trading down in the draft could be likely if Jahlil Okafor, Karl-Anthony Towns, and D’Angelo Russell are off the board:
It sounds as if they remain on the fence about both Emmanuel Mudiay and [Kristaps] Porzingis. That’s why they’ve been looking at players such as … Frank Kaminsky in recent workouts. If the Knicks can get a valuable veteran and still land somewhere in the back end of the lottery, it might make more sense for them than taking a player they aren’t sold on at No. 4. We know several teams, including the Nuggets and Pacers, are trying to move up in the draft.
The Sixers, who will pick right before the Knicks at no. 3, are determined not to let Okafor, Towns, or Russell fall to the Knicks at no. 4. They’ll have an excellent chance at achieving that if two of those three players are taken first and second by the Timberwolves and Lakers, and according to Ford, that could result in the Knicks trading down.
With four trade exceptions between $1.8 and $5.9 million, the Knicks are able to use those to take on a salaries in that ball park in a potential trade.
It appears the Knicks are struggling with the potential of their realistic options with the no. 4 pick. The challenge is deciding on how well and how quickly that player will develop, as well as their ceiling. Trading with a team that’s trying to move up in the draft might earn the Knicks some more assuring additions. For now the only thing for certain is the Knicks’ uncertainty, and it’s feeling more like anything could happen on June 25.
