Greedy Knicks: Does 'Hoarding' of Draft Picks Signal Future Trade?

Could the New York Knicks be prepping for an earth-shattering move given their recent acquisition of draft stock?

The New York Knicks will need to hit a home run in whatever way they can in order to jump back into conversation of the NBA's elite.

A move of franchise-altering proportions likely won't happen this season, but Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Wednesday that the Knicks front office is "kind of hoarding those first-round picks just waiting for that next megastar to become available" after the team made a flurry of trades during the offseason to acquire draft stock.

The Knicks failed to acquire a superstar-caliber player over the offseason, though they added a elite-level guard in Jalen Brunson. However, the team had a chance to trade for All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz, a player that many -- including Mitchell himself -- thought would end up with the Knicks.

But despite Mitchell's talent, many of the offseason moves by New York's front office could centered around an attempt to land star guards like Kyrie Irving or James Harden, who could be traded given their respective situations or hit free agency this offseason.

"For whatever reason, they did not believe that Donovan Mitchell was a guy they wanted to go fully, fully all-in on. ... You choose that you'd rather keep all the picks and all the flexibility," Charania said. "You have to give [team president] Leon Rose credit for this: They've built up those assets necessary to when whoever that megastar is [available], they'll be right there for him."

In the summer of 2024, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, and Paul George could all hit the market as well, though the Knicks could look to trade for them rather than inking a new deal based on the team's recent moves.

The Knicks (5-6) return to action on Friday night against the Detroit Pistons (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG). 

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You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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