New York Knicks: NBA Draft picks to have the longest careers

3. Rod Strickland (1988 NBA Draft, Pick 19): 1,094 games played

Rod Strickland was a journeyman point guard, playing for nine franchises across 17 seasons, but he did not perform like the typical backup player that bounced between teams, despite never making an All-Star game.

The New York Knicks chose Strickland 19th overall in the 1988 NBA Draft, filling a backup role to Mark Jackson. He flashed as a scorer and ball handler with 8.7 points and 4.1 assists in 132 games, until New York acquired a veteran guard from the San Antonio Spurs, Maurice Cheeks, and sent Strickland in exchange.

For all the times the DePaul product moved, he was traded just twice. The other was to the Washington Bullets in a deal for Rasheed Wallace.

Strickland, however, saw his career take off with the Spurs. His numbers soared to around 14 points and eight assists per game, and while this stint only lasted for parts of three seasons, it solidified him as a starting point guard, including with the Portland Trail Blazers, Washington, the Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves and Orlando Magic.

Strickland topped out at 17.8 points and 10.5 assists in the 1997-98 season, but stayed as one of this era’s most unheralded point guards. Players like Gary Payton and John Stockton stole the spotlight in the NBA Finals, while the Bronx, NY native sat a few tiers back, despite the positive numbers.

1,094 career games still represent a long, great career. Only a fraction happened with the Knicks, and he found most of that success after the 1990 trade.