New York Knicks: Ranking every NBA Draft Lottery pick

8. Nene (2002)

When trading a first-round pick on draft night, it is difficult to place the player since he never actually played for the team. If Nene Hilario suited up for the New York Knicks, he would sit in the top five of this franchise’s greatest lottery picks.

However, that is not the case.

At the 2002 NBA Draft, the Knicks sent Nene as part of a trade to acquire the aging and injured Antonio McDyess from the Denver Nuggets. A young Marcus Camby went west, as well, to add another gut punch.

Nene went seventh overall in this draft class, which produced some quality veterans and Yao Ming, but offered a handful of top-10 busts, including Jay Williams, Dajuan Wagner and Nikoloz Tskitishvili.

17 years later, the Brazilian center remains an NBA contributor on a playoff team. He has started at multiple destinations and produced fine numbers by the year, when in a prime age range. 11.3 points and 6.0 rebounds won’t place him in the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame, but it’s enough to call it a respectable career.

The Knicks ditched not one but two promising big men for a player who hardly made an impact during their “win-now” mode of trades in the mid-2000s. It’s one to forget, as keeping Nene could have provided terrific big-man depth for the next set of teams in the Big Apple.