Leon Rose has been no stranger to trading draft picks since his arrival to the New York Knicks’ front office in 2020.
Rose’s first draft saw New York trading two picks to move up in the first round to select Immanuel Quickley at No. 25.
Last year, the Knicks were right back at it with the trades. Going into draft night New York held picks 19, 21, 32, and 58. Reports came out saying the Knicks were trying to actually move up in the draft, but they ended up backing out because of asking prices.
By the end of the night, New York moved its first three picks in a variety of trades in return for picks 25, 34, 36, 58, and some future assets.
The Knicks ended up taking Quentin Grimes at No. 25, who had a promising rookie year.
So, as we can see from Rose’s small sample size, New York won’t stay put with its selections without at least kicking the tires on possible trades. I expect the same to happen this year.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Knicks either move up or move down from their current selection at No. 11. We know how much they love Jaden Ivey, but again, if the price is too high and they don’t love anyone at 11, watch for them to move back in the first round.
In this article, I’ll be revealing three possible draft targets that could be available in the back half of this year’s first round.
3 players that the Knicks could trade back for in the 2022 NBA Draft
3. Christian Koloko – University of Arizona
Christain Koloko would merely only be an option if Mitchell Robinson leaves and the Knicks miss out on Mark Williams and/or Jalen Duren. But boy, am I high on Koloko still.
He had a breakout junior season for the Arizona Wildcats, averaging 12.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game and he shot 63.5% from the field. Due to his stats he won’t necessarily turn heads, but his defense will. Even if he isn’t blocking shots, he affects them and makes players think twice before coming into the lane.
Like I said, his defense is already awesome with his long arms and wingspan which is crucial for the center position. He also has a very impressive knack to cut to the basket and catch lobs, making him a cheaper version of Robinson.
PAC-12 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR - CHRISTIAN KOLOKO@kolokojunior1 pic.twitter.com/Oppt4x0yJo
— Intuition Hoops (@IntuitionHoops) March 8, 2022
Koloko even has shown the ability to stay with smaller faster guards, which is huge in the NBA.
His 7-foot-5.25-inch wingspan and 9-foot-5 standing reach (yes, you read that correctly) will help him to be a potential franchise rim protector.