The Knicks didn’t trade for Jaden Ivey. They did not trade down. In Thursday’s NBA draft, they traded completely out of the first round, with Jalen Brunson in mind, appearing to be adding future protected options and trading some off to free the cap.
As they desperately tried to push Purdue superstar guard Ivey Pistons away, who took his fifth choice, the Knicks traded the 11th option, which was used on the French side of Ousmane Dieng, with the Thunder for three. conditional future first round options, Commissioner Adam Silver announced during the draft. Athletic announced that all selections are protected by the lottery in the 2023 draft, owned by the Pistons, Wizards and Nuggets. The Wizards selection is protected in the top 14, and the Pistons selection lets you know if it is not in the top 18.
They then acquired the 13th choice from the Hornets, Memphis center Jalen Duren, in exchange for several future choices – a Nuggets-owned first-round player of 2023 and four future second-round players – and sent him to Pistons with Kemba Walker. increased the salary cap by about $ 9 million.
As part of the deal with Pistons, the Knicks received Bucks’ first-round selection in 2025, which is defended among the top four. In total, the Knicks now have 11 first-round selections and 11 second-round selections over the next seven years.
ESPN cap guru and former Net CEO Bobby Marks said the moves would leave Knicks with $ 104 million in guaranteed contracts and a cap of $ 122 million. The Knicks are expected to receive about $ 25 million to land Brunson.
Duren, Westchester’s one-of-a-kind shooter AJ Griffin and Duke star Mark Williams were available at the time the Knicks first finished 11th. Instead, they took Dieng, which was loudly praised by Knicks fans at the Barclays Center, and quickly made deals with him. When word spread that they would land and deliver the Duren Pistons, it was thought it could be for Ivey, but it didn’t materialize.
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Ivey had said on Monday that he would have the honor of playing for the Knicks, and these are one of the franchises he can see ending. When asked about the rumors, he replied, “My agents checked it all.”
Instead of Ivey, the Knicks set out to land Brunson, a former Villanova star who made a breakthrough season in the Mavericks. Postman Marc Berman said earlier that Knicks’ plan was to run to a free agent in the hope that he would find a solution for their long scorer and back player with RJ Barrett.
However, it remains to be seen if the Knicks will be able to lure 25-year-old Brunson away from the Mavericks. He finishes his career year, scoring an average of 16.3 points and passing 4.8 assists, a sort of breakthrough in the afternoon, scoring 21.6 points per game. Brunson rose when star Luka Doncic was out at the start of the playoffs, scoring 41 points in the 2nd round of the game over Jazz.
Dallas owner Mark Cuban has said he wants to keep Brunson, citing the Mavericks being able to pay him more than other teams.
“I think he wants to stay, and that’s the most important thing,” Cuba said after the Mavericks dropped out of the playoffs in late May.
However, the Knicks recently hired Brunson’s father Rick’s coach Tom Thibodeau and may offer him a lead role as his starting defender. Team president Leon Rose, of course, represented Brunson at the Creative Artists Agency before joining Knicks, and Rose’s son Sam is Brunson’s current agent. Common sense suggests that Leon Rose has any idea if Knicks will be able to land his former client.
It was basically the core of Knicks’ first round on Thursday night: they couldn’t get Ivey, but they could help track down Brunson while adding extra assets.
In the second round, the Knicks chose Duke’s guard Trevor Keels as the 42nd overall pick.
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