Trade Proposal Moves Knicks Up in NBA Draft
The New York Knicks have two first-round picks late in the round, but there's a world where they could move up in the NBA Draft.
Bleacher Report suggests a deal with the Miami Heat, who hold the No. 15 overall pick.
"The Knicks may need to be smitten with a fringe-lottery prospect to push the "Let's do it!" button. Then again, with Isaiah Hartenstein (Early Bird) and OG Anunoby (player option) heading for free agency, they will have various tax implications of their own to navigate. (Bojan Bogdanović's partially guaranteed deal is a defining offseason factor for them.) Consolidating Nos. 24 and 25 into No. 15 saves them a bit of money while conceptually increasing the quality of the rookie they house," Bleacher Report writes.
In a draft like this, the difference between the No. 15 pick and the Nos. 24 and 25 picks isn't much. There isn't a huge dropoff in between there and the prospects in the draft will ultimately succeed based on their fit with the team that takes them.
If the Knicks can engineer the right fit for a prospect, a trade like this could be worth it. While the Knicks could have double the opportunity to do so by keeping the picks, this trade is equally about opening a potential roster spot than it is moving up for a potentially better rookie.
A deal like this could be exactly what the Knicks need to set themselves up for success as they try and make another deep playoff run.