NBA Rumors: Should the New York Knicks trade up for Michael Porter Jr.?

With the 2018 NBA Draft less than two weeks away, we explore whether the New York Knicks should seriously consider trading up for Michael Porter Jr.

The New York Knicks hold the No. 9 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft, but at that point it’s extremely difficult to find a potential franchise or co-franchise player. That’s the task they are faced with.

The great thing about this draft is that there’s one player that could fall to New York at No. 9 that probably would be a top 3 or 4 pick had he not missed the majority of his freshman season due to injury. And that player is none other than Michael Porter Jr.

According to ESPN’s Ian Begley, there are higher ups in the Knicks front office that are huge fans of Porter Jr. With this knowledge circling around the league, a few teams picking ahead of the Knicks are beginning to call New York about the possibility of trading up for MPJ.

More from Sir Charles In Charge

• LeBron James working to assemble super team for USA Basketball in 2024
• Dillon Brooks proved his value to Houston Rockets in the 2023 FIBA World Cup
• NBA Trade Rumors: 1 Player from each team most likely to be traded in-season
• Golden State Warriors: Buy or sell Chris Paul being a day 1 starter
• Does Christian Wood make the Los Angeles Lakers a legit contender?

"[via ESPN]Some teams with picks ahead of the Knicks have reached out to members of the organization to gauge their interest on trading up to draft Michael Porter Jr., league sources say.…But opposing teams are aware that some members of the Knicks’ organization are big fans of Porter Jr."

The big question, of course, is should the Knicks take the bait and attempt to move up to ensure selecting Michael Porter Jr. The likelihood of him falling to New York at No. 9, in my opinion, is fairly small.

We’ve seen strange things on draft night, but it only takes one team willing to take a risk on an extremely talented unknown. And I have a hard time believe that Porter Jr. will fall to the end of the top 10.

So, essentially, the Knicks have to figure out how much of a risk they’re willing to take to get Porter Jr. If they firmly believe that he’s one of the best players in this draft pool, the decision should be easy. Make the move.

Must Read: NBA Rumors: 5 teams who should target DeMarcus Cousins this summer

Assuming that it wouldn’t cost THAT much to move up a few spots to take Porter Jr., this is something that should seriously be entertained.