NY Knicks: Grading the 3 trades NY made during 2021 NBA Draft
Trade #2 – NY Knicks receive Pick 25 and future 2nd for Pick 21
At the end of the day, I’m just as big a fan as anyone else.
I’ve spent months trying to figure out who my favorite team was going to select at picks 19 and 21.
Unfortunately, pick 19 was traded away, but at least we only had to wait a few more minutes for the Knicks to make their first selection of the evening at 21, right?
Right?
Nope. The 21st pick was moved as well, but this time the Knicks stayed in this year’s draft and took the 25th selection and another future asset, this time being a future 2nd round pick.
Knicks traded No. 21 -- Keon Johnson -- to the Clippers, and New York now has No. 25, sources say. https://t.co/hs1YSJICQ0
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 30, 2021
Leon Rose picks up another future asset in a 2024 2nd round pick, which could be a decent selection depending on where Kawhi Leonard decides to play next season.
The Knicks FINALLY made their first selection of the evening, which was Quentin Grimes out of the University of Houston.
I’m much higher on Grimes than my counterpart here at Daily Knicks, Adam Kester, as I believe the Knicks just found a guy who within a year or two could be the starting shooting guard for the team for the next 10 years.
That’s of course if they move RJ Barrett over to the 3-spot, but that conversation is for another day.
Grimes led a Houston team that was devout of NBA caliber talent into the Final 4 of March Madness, only to be struck down by the National Title winning Baylor Bears.
Quentin Grimes was one of just 3 players in the NCAA to hit over 100 3’s this season.
— Daily Knicks (@DailyKnicksFS) July 30, 2021
He was also one of just TWO players to rank in the Top 10 in both offensive and defensive rating.
Turned 21 in May, so he’s the perfect combination of NBA-ready and upside.
Well done, Leon
I think the Knicks were set on a few names in this draft at 19 or 21, and if they weren’t able to trade up for one of them or snag them with their own picks, they were never keeping these two selections.
Leon Rose and Co clearly had backup plans in place in case ‘their guys’ became unattainable.
There were rumors just last week that one of the players the Knicks were high on was Quentin Grimes, so while they could have taken him, along with another player I’ll be mentioning in the next slide at picks 19 and 21, they gambled and figured they could get the both of them at later picks while picking up more future assets.