Knicks fans let out a collective groan when they discovered that the team would be picking fourth in the NBA draft. While the fourth pick may sound nice to most teams, the Knicks were hoping for a top-3 pick, as the top 3 players in the draft have pretty much been established: Karl-Anthony Towns, Jahlil Okafor, and D’Angelo Russell(in no particular order).
Unless one of those 3 players slides to the Knicks, they will have tons of options at pick #4. These options include Emmanuel Mudiay, Justise Winslow, and Kristaps Porzingis, among others. Another option for the Knicks is to trade down in the draft. This may be their best option, particularly if they find a player they like who’s a little further down the board. They’re likely considering trading down, as evidenced by their heavy interest in Murray State point guard Cameron Payne.
It appears that Payne isn’t the only player that the Knicks are considering trading down for though.
From Marc Berman of the New York Post:
The best player in college basketball, whom some Knicks fans would like to see them trade down in the draft in order to snatch, 7-foot senior Frank Kaminsky, is tentatively scheduled to meet with the club next Tuesday and Wednesday in New York, according to a league source.
Talks are taking place to finalize the visit.Kaminsky, the Naismith College Player of the Year, who led Wisconsin to the NCAA title game, interviewed with Knicks president Phil Jackson last month at the Chicago combine. Kaminsky, pegged at No. 8 to Detroit in a recent DraftExpress.com mock draft, told Jackson: “I’m 22 years old and I get treated like I’m 65 going into the NBA.”
If the Knicks are interested in Kaminsky or Payne(or Trey Lyles, who they have also looked into), they won’t need a pick as high as 4. After all, Chad Ford’s big board has the prospects ranked as follows: Payne(10), Lyles(13), and Kaminsky(15). So New York fans, don’t be surprised to see the Knicks trade down on draft night. It may be in their best interests.
