NBA Draft: 3 most head-scratching moves from a chaotic night
The New York Knicks trade back twice
I’m not sure if we all understand what exactly the New York Knicks did on draft night, but they’re going to be remembered most for trading out of the lottery twice – with the goal of the second trade to get off the contract of Kemba Walker.
What the Knicks did tonight:
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) June 24, 2022
NYK trades 11th pick to OKC
OKC trades 3 firsts (23 DEN, DET, WASH) to NYK
NYK then trades 23 DEN, 4 seconds to CHA for 13th pick
NYK then trade 13th pick & Kemba Walker to DET for MKE's 25 first
NYK trades 11, Kemba, 4 2nds & gets 3 future 1sts
It quickly became clear that one of the primary goals of the Knicks was to create cap space heading into free agency. That’s exactly what they did by getting of Kemba’s $10 million for next season.
And it seemed as if this became the only goal for the Knicks after it was clear they could not trade up to No. 4 or 5 to take Jaden Ivey. Once Dyson Daniels flew off the board at No. 8 to New Orleans, I suppose New York didn’t want to go all-in with any prospect.
Thus, the decision to add future first-round picks and gain cap space. This decision will make sense if they are able to land a big fish in free agency. But if they don’t, these moves are only going to look more foolish.