After the worst season in franchise history, the Knicks have a 100 percent shot at having a top-5 pick in the upcoming NBA draft, and a 38.7 percent chance of picking within the top 2 selections. But it’s possible that that the Knicks’ pick could be used by another team. According to ESPN’s Ian Begley, the Knicks could trade the pick:
Jackson said on Tuesday that he would consider trading the pick, depending on where the Knicks finish in the draft lottery.
“We’ll consider everything,” Jackson said. “I mean, I want to be quite blunt with you and say, depending upon the lottery — everything starts when the picks come in on the 19th of May. Everything starts to germinate from there. Do you move a pick 1, 2, 3 or 4? Um, that’s questionable. Do you move a pick five if that’s the end result and use it as a chip? Maybe. So there’s a lot of options out there.”
Knicks general manager Steve Mills said earlier this month that the team had already fielded two offers for its pick but that he and Jackson would prefer to keep the pick.
A player worth that trade would have to be a bona fide star, and DeMarcus Cousins could (in theory) be available. With Carmelo Anthony already 30 years old, time is running out for Melo to make a run at the title, so this could be the most efficient way for the Knicks to get another star.
