NY Knicks: 10 examples why NY should NOT trade up in 2021 NBA Draft

NY Knicks Example #10 — Caris LeVert

Lastly, we’ve got the 2016 draft, and possibly the most talented player on this list.

At pick #20, the Brooklyn Nets selected Caris Levert, another player they would eventually trade away in order to acquire James Harden.

Levert is just entering his prime at age 26 and averaged roughly 21 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 5 assists this year in Indiana.

Levert can score from all three levels and has developed into an impressive playmaker. His three-point shooting could improve (33.6% for his career), but if he’s surrounded by additional talent, he’s shown he is more than capable to lead an offense in both Brooklyn and Indiana, playing a significant role on teams ready to make a playoff run.

To be frank, none of the players I listed over these last five drafts can single-handedly lead a team to the promised land. However, like we’ve seen in Brooklyn and Atlanta, acquiring enough talent through the draft has led them to the playoffs, or in Brooklyn’s case, given them enough capital to trade for a star.

For the New York Knicks, it makes the most sense to keep our two first-rounders and shoot for guys who can play with our young core like Matisse Thybulle and Kevin Huerter, and players with the potential to develop into high-level performers as seen with John Collins, Jarret Allen, and Caris Levert.

The New York Knicks have just begun rebounding from the depths of the Eastern Conference. In one of the most impressive turnarounds in recent history, the Knicks have gone from one of the least talented rosters in the NBA a few years back, to a team full of young potential and loads of additional draft capital.

With a new and improved front office, why not add two more high-caliber guys in the first round, continue the promising rebuild and then aim to sign an all-star player in next year’s free agency (which is arguably one of the best classes we’ve seen in a few years).

The Knicks are simply more than one player away.

After seeing what kind of talent you can get in the mid to late first round, let’s try to build out the roster even more, to entice an all-star caliber player to come to New York, a team that is no longer a laughingstock, but an up and coming franchise a few pieces away from making some serious noise.