NY Knicks 2015 Re-Draft: Knicks exchange Porzingis for this star Center
By Allen Settle
Should the NY Knicks have traded up to 2 or 3 to snag one of these players?
20. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Karl-Anthony Towns. #2. player. Center.
Towns doesn’t fall far after losing out on the top spot. He also lands in an infinitely better situation than his current one.
It’s unknown how this addition affects the direction of the Lakers franchise as a whole.
Remember, the 2015-2016 season represented the close of the Kobe Bryant era. The club was also a few years away from the highlight signing of LeBron James.
For the sake of this piece, let’s say that LeBron always intended to sign with the Lakers. There’s no tangible reason to assume the presence of Towns alters this course.
This leaves Los Angeles with a formidable core.
It’s also possible that the team still makes a trade for star Anthony Davis. While this leaves the Lakers with two top-tier big men, LA has developed a reputation for employing multiple centers.
Davis has also been outspoken about his lack of desire to play center full-time.
It’s also worth noting that the Lakers’ original #2 pick, D’Angelo Russell was used as a trade chip to acquire Brook Lopez and Kyle Kuzma, neither of whom were included in the package sent to New Orleans in exchange for Davis.
This is a potential dynasty-building pick for LA.
player. Pick Analysis. Guard. D'Angelo Russell. 93. Scouting Report. . #3
Knicks fans would undoubtedly be pulling for former All-Star D’Angelo Russell to fall to them at pick #4.
Unfortunately for New York’s faithful, the 76ers make the obvious move and grab the star combo guard.
At the beginning of the 2015-2016 season, Philadelphia’s core of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons were not factors on the team.
Embiid was plagued by foot injuries that cost him his first two professional seasons, leaving fans to wonder if he was the next incarnation of Greg Oden.
Simmons on the other hand was preparing for his first season as a member of the LSU Tigers.
Looking back, Philly had a slew of young talents that would later develop into starting-caliber big men, albeit for other franchises.
Jerami Grant, Richaun Holmes, Robert Covington, and Christian Wood, joined recent lottery pick Nerlenes Noel in an unexpectedly stacked frontcourt.
However, the 76ers did lack talent at the guard positions.
Flash in the pan players like TJ McConnell, Isaiah Canaan, Nik Stauskas, and Ish Smith are hardly long-term solutions for a rebuilding franchise.
While Russell has yet to live up to the hype of a former #2 overall pick, he has certainly carved out a good career.
The 2018 All-Star was the driving force behind the Nets’ postseason berth that season.
The former Ohio State superstar has maintained averages of 17.6 points and 5.3 assists per game on 36% shooting from three and 42% from the field.
He is the type of player that would fuel both the 2015 76ers roster, as well as their current squad, to a higher ceiling.
This brings us to…Drumroll, please…Your New York Knicks!