With two first-round picks in the 2021 NBA Draft, Leon Rose and the New York Knicks front office have several different ways they can approach draft night later this month, including trading up into the lottery.
As Marc Berman of the New York Post reported last month, they’re interested in finding their way into the top-14:
They have two first-round picks (19 and 21) and two second-rounders (32, 58). Chief strategist Brock Aller will look to deal picks and money to move into the lottery, according to sources.
A number of teams are reportedly interested in trading down, largely those in the middle tier of the first-round, at the end of the lottery and late teens.
The Indiana Pacers, Memphis Grizzlies, and New Orleans Pelicans are all teams that have been reported at one point in time to have interest in trading down.
Do any of those three teams make sense as a trade partner for New York? Would the Knicks be willing to give up the assets they’d require to make a deal?
Given the current state of their franchise, and the need to continue building around Zion Williamson, there’s an argument to be made that the New Orleans Pelicans would make a sensible draft-day trade partner for the New York Knicks.
Trade Proposal
With a talent like Zion Williamson in house, and reports already surfacing that his family may be pushing to get him out of New Orleans, the Pelicans should be in a hurry not to necessarily win now, but set themselves up for his prime.
That means having solid contributors on cost-controlled contracts, and a salary cap sheet that doesn’t draw scowls or eye rolls.
New Orleans acquired Eric Bledsoe in their dealing of Jrue Holiday last summer, a move that signaled they weren’t necessarily passionate about winning now. But the point guard’s fit with the Pelicans couldn’t be any worse, and his salary isn’t cheap.
The New York Knicks could offer a landing spot for Bledsoe, if New Orleans is willing to pay up to move him. He makes much more sense under a head coach like Tom Thibodeau and within the defensive-first scheme the team thrived in last season.
- New Orleans Pelicans receive: Kevin Knox, and the 19th and 21st picks
- New York Knicks receive: Eric Bledsoe, and the 10th overall pick
Bledsoe averaged only 12.2 points and 3.8 assists last year, but is just a year removed from playing an integral role on a contending Milwaukee Bucks team.
He may never be worth his $18-million salary, but that’s why the Knicks would be wise to insist on the Pelicans taking back Kevin Knox, who’ll make $5.8 million next year, the last of his rookie contract.
Ultimately it’s a swap of $15.9 million in salary (Bledsoe, 10th pick) across two players for $10.2 million (Knox, 19th pick, 21st pick) across three.
It’s not unlikely that the New Orleans Pelicans could push back on taking Knox’s salary, but the New York Knicks should still feel comfortable if this deal without the former lottery pick gets them into the top-10 of this year’s draft.
Who Could New York Be Targeting?
None of the latest mock drafts would help to indicate who the New York Knicks could be interested in, outside of 19th and 21st.
But they should still properly reflect a good idea of who will be available in the range of the 10th overall pick.
In his latest mock draft for ESPN, draft analyst Jonathan Givony has Australian point guard Josh Giddey going 10th overall. He averaged 10.9 points, 7.5 assists, and 7.4 rebounds last season for the Adelaide 36ers of the NBL.
For The Ringer, Kevin O’Connor has Corey Kispert going 10th in his latest mock, a senior forward out of Gonzaga with a top-ranked three-point shot.
He averaged 18.6 points and five rebounds for the Bulldogs last season.
Either of these prospects would make good fits on the Knicks, but trading up could also be less about who’s there at 10th overall, and who they’d miss out on at 19th overall, potentially going just before them in the late teens.
Either of James Bouknight and Sharife Cooper could go before New York gets on the clock, and they were front and center for both the guards presentation days at the NBA combine in Chicago.
Moses Moody is another name that’s popular among the New York Knicks fandom.
The 19-year old wing is coming off of a stellar freshman season at Alabama where he averaged 16.8, 5.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and a steal per game.
Something to keep an eye on with less than a month until the draft.
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