Knicks: What would it take for New York to trade up in the Draft?

With the New York Knicks considering a move up in the 2018 NBA Draft, it’s interesting to speculate what they would have to give up in order to do so.

According to ESPN’s Ian Begley, teams have reached out to gauge the New York Knicks’ desire to potentially move up in the 2018 NBA Draft.

This report stems from people within the Knicks organization taking a liking to University of Missouri product Michael Porter Jr., while also being well aware he may not be available when their pick comes around.

Currently slated at No. 9 overall, New York could cross their fingers in the hopes that Porter falls to them. Or, they could execute a trade with one of the eight teams ahead of them, increasing their odds of landing who they want.

The obvious question is: What would the Knicks have to give up in order to move up in the draft, and which team would be willing to partake in such a trade?

For starters, they would most likely be swapping picks with whomever this hypothetical deal takes place with, but that can’t possibly be enough to get a deal done. No team drafting ahead of New York would downgrade their pick without extra compensation in return.

What Scott Perry and Steve Mills could do is part ways with one of their three young point guards, clearing up the logjam at the position while putting themselves in position to drafter Porter.

The Orlando Magic seem to be a likely trade candidate, as they’re in desperate need of a primary ball-handler.

Maybe they like what they saw in Trey Burke after he averaged 12.8 points and 4.7 assists in just under 22 minutes per game this past season—so much so that they’d be willing to pass on Oklahoma point guard Trae Young, whose size and consistency make him a question mark moving forward.

This would allow the Magic to have their point guard of the future in Burke, who’s only 25 years old, while still being able to acquire a prospect like Mikal Bridges or Miles Bridges with the No. 9 pick.

Maybe teams aren’t looking at New York’s point guards at all, instead seeing Kyle O’Quinn as a contributing role player moving forward or possibly as a valuable asset given his expiring contract.

This entire scenario is dependent upon how fond the Knicks are of Porter, and who within the roster is expendable enough to package in a trade.

It’s possible that both Mills and Perry don’t see Porter as a guy worth trading up for. After all, he sat out most of his only season at Missouri with a back injury, making him a risk moving forward for any team that drafts him.

However, the Knicks need a scorer to pair with Kristaps Porzingis. Giving The Unicorn a co-star that would help ease the offensive burden that wore him down as the season progressed.

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If New York’s front office duo believes that MPJ could become something special next to Porzingis, they need to give heavy consideration towards sacrificing some of their players in order to draft him on June 21.