The New York Knicks are moving on up in the 2020 NBA Draft.
It’s not even 10:00 AM EST on the East Coast and the New York Knicks are already making moves ahead of the 2020 NBA Draft.
According to ESPN, the Knicks have traded their 27th and 38th picks to Utah in exchange for the 23rd pick.
The question now becomes who the Knicks might be targeting to make them eager to move up four spots in the first round. This draft has proven nearly impossible to handicap as there is no clear consensus on where prospects will land outside of the top few picks.
As Jonathan Macri of Knicks Film School noted shortly after the news broke, it’s possible this is a precursor to another trade. If the Knicks were to package the 8th and 23rd picks together, perhaps they could move up in the lottery. Or maybe they are working on a separate deal that involves a team interested in picking in the early twenties.
Some players New York could be reaching for at 23, and might not have been available as late as 27th, include guards Cole Anthony and Malachi Flynn.
The Knicks originally acquired the 27th pick in a trade deadline deal with the Los Angeles Clippers that sent Marcus Morris out West. Their 38th pick was owed to them from Charlotte from the Willy Hernangomez trade (ironically, the Knicks’ own second round pick this year is in Philadelphia’s hands from the trade that originally brought Willy to New York as a second round pick in 2015).
After prying scouting guru Walt Perrin away from Utah in the offseason, it is interesting to see Leon Rose make his first draft trade as president of the team with Perrin’s former organization.
This is breaking news. Check back later as more information becomes available.