The New York Knicks made their first draft pick with the 39th overall selection, making Alba Berlin's Jack Kayil from Alba Berlin their first addition after the NBA Championship. Kayil wasn't on the roster for the action in Las Vegas until Friday because of a wrinkle with his club in Germany.
As a result, Kayil didn't play in the team's first game of the 2026 offseason – a total rout by the Brooklyn Nets at the Thomas & Mack Center. Even in Summer League, though, the Knicks have a back-to-back. They're set to take on the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday, with team sources expecting Kayil to make his NBA-level debut against their NBA Finals opponent from June.
Knicks fans might not see Kayil again until next summer
Kayil's potential Summer League debut will offer fans an opportunity to see him in orange and blue ahead of the Knicks' title defense. The Eastern Conference got better across the board, with flattened lottery odds motivating teams like the Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls to shift toward fielding more competitive rosters.
The Knicks might not necessarily have room for Kayil on the "big club," making a draft-and-stash situation both likely and sensible for both parties. Despite Kayil expecting to come to the NBA from the jump on draft night, he likely got a relatively quick reality check from the organization looking to spend a second straight season as kings of the hill.
Things will likely work themselves out for Kayil. If the guard impresses team brass enough in Summer League, next season in Germany, or both, a Knicks team in search of more postseason success would be smart to bring him over to the United States. And if he needs more development, New York can afford to wait for him to get it.
Knicks' second apron snafu left them unlikely to make a first round pick
The Knicks went into this offseason up against the second apron – and with an NBA Championship to defend. Adding rookies with first-round draft picks was likely never in the equation for them, given governor James Dolan's comments after the NBA Finals about surpassing the second apron being "suicidal" in the basketball world.
As a result, their front office followed their established draft night modus operandi. They moved back several times in the first round – and eventually out of it entirely.
The Knicks struck a multi-million dollar deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, according to league sources, to move back one slot from the 24th overall pick. Then, they accrued a total of five second-round draft selections from the next two trades that left them without a 2026 first round pick.
While the loss of Mitchell Robinson to the rival Boston Celtics might sting beyond immediate repair, the Knicks couldn't have won the 2026 NBA Championship without the contributions they got from Jose Alvarado, either. New York acquired him at the deadline for the cost of two second-round picks, showing how even seemingly marginal assets can move the needle in the postseason.
The hope for the Knicks is obviously that both Kayil and Nickel turn into rotation players, or better, long-term. Nickel already got started with a hot shooting performance against the Nets, but both will have some real chances to show fans why New York's front office decided they were worth adding to a championship-winning squad.
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