Draft night for the New York Knicks is usually pretty simple: They make a pick their fans hate, the fans boo it like crazy, and the negative fan reaction becomes a story of its own. Thursday night was not so easy, as the Knicks were the most active team in the 2022 NBA Draft.
They did three separate trades that had players and teams flying all over the place, and it took hours to figure out all the details. Now that the dust has settled, let’s take a closer look at all the moves the Knicks made on Thursday.
Knicks–Thunder transfer
The Knicks receive:
- 2023 first-round pick via Detroit (protected 1-18 through 2024, protected 1-13 in 2025, protected 1-11 in 2026, protected 1-9 in 2027)
- 2023 first-round pick via Washington (protected 1-14 in 2023, protected 1-12 in 2024, protected 1-10 in 2025, protected 1-8 in 2026)
- 2023 first-round pick via Denver (protected 1-14 through 2025)
Thunder receive:
- Selection No. 11 (Ousmane Dieng)
The Knicks had the No. 11 pick going into the night, and there was a lot of talk about his possible promotion. Instead, they decided to trade out of the first round by sending that pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for three future first-round players. While the Knicks need help right now, getting three first-round picks for one is pretty good value.
Trade Knicks–Hornets
The Knicks receive:
- Pick No. 13 (Jalen Duren)
Hornets receive:
- 2023 first-round pick via Denver (protected 1-14 through 2025)
- 2023 second-round pick via New York
- 2023 second-round pick via Utah
- 2023 second-round pick (most favorable pick between Dallas and Miami)
- 2024 second-round pick via New York
Shortly after completing the deal with the Thunder, the Knicks got back on the phone and traded with the Charlotte Hornets. They took the 2023 first through Denver that they got in the Thunder trade, and packaged it with four future seconds for the No. 13 overall pick, who would become Jalen Duren.
Trade between Knicks and Pistons
The Knicks receive:
- 2025 first-round pick via Milwaukee (protected 1-4)
The pistons receive:
Ultimately, the Knicks traded the No. 13 pick (Jalen Duren) and Kemba Walker to the Detroit Pistons in a third deal. In exchange, the Knicks got a 2025 first-round pick through Milwaukee, which the Pistons had previously acquired in the Jerami Grant trade earlier this week.
Final drive for the Knicks
- 2023 first-round pick via Detroit (protected 1-18 through 2024, protected 1-13 in 2025, protected 1-11 in 2026, protected 1-9 in 2027)
- 2023 first-round pick via Washington (protected 1-14 in 2023, protected 1-12 in 2024, protected 1-10 in 2025, protected 1-8 in 2026)
- 2025 first-round pick via Milwaukee (protected 1-4)
- $18 million in cap space
After the entire game, the Knicks closed out the night with three future first-round picks and some extra salary-cap space. It’s no secret that they’re going to use that money to try to sign Jalen Brunson in free agency. They recently hired his father as an assistant coach and now have enough cap space to make a competitive offer. There’s no guarantee they’ll make it, but they have a much better chance now than they did before the draft.
The question, though, is whether his tunnel vision for a chance to sign Brunson clouded his judgment. A lottery pick seems like a steep price to pay to scrap Walker’s contract and enter Brunson’s lottery. It’s easy to argue that it would have been better to just make the first two trades. In that scenario, they keep Duren and walk away with two additional future scoops. As for the cap space situation, they might have found out something else later.
Reference-www.cbssports.com