Ranking the New York Knicks’ top 11 trade assets
By Tyler Watts
9. Knicks’ 2025 first-round pick
Further away picks will be more valuable because of the Knicks’ recent mismanagement. This is only the second year since 2014 that they have made the playoffs, and New York has just six postseason appearances since 2002. The Knicks are still one of the NBA’s marquee franchises, but history suggests they find a way to mess things up under James Dolan.
What will their roster look like in 2025? Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle both have player options that summer that they could decline in search of a long-term deal. The only players that New York has locked in beyond the 2025 summer are RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson.
With Randle and Brunson on their roster, they should be a playoff team again in 2025, but teams know that anything can happen. Getting an unprotected pick is rare, and the Knicks have the ability to offer that here. Teams will project it to fall 15 to 25, but there is an upside that it lands in the lottery.
What makes the New York Knicks the frontrunner to acquire a superstar via trade is the combination of first-round picks, young talent on their roster, and their market. They traded for several first-rounders from other teams that could separate the Knicks’ package from other potential options when a marquee name hits the trade block.