Another successful season for the New York Knicks, and still, another summer of offseason speculation awaits. Starting with the 2024 NBA Draft, where they’re armed with two first-round picks.
Overseeing a roster that has a championship ceiling, the idea of Leon Rose drafting two rookies to the roster seems unlikely.
Which is likely why, in a recent trade proposal for Bleacher Report, Zach Buckley has the Knicks going all in for one rookie.
In his May 16 article, New York takes part in a three-team deal between the Atlanta Hawks and San Antonio Spurs, ending up with Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham.
They draft the 19-year old with the eighth overall pick in the proposal, after trading all of picks 24, 25, and 38 to the Spurs.
New York, meanwhile, might be looking at its loaded-when-healthy roster and wondering where it can fit three rookies,” Buckley writes. “The Knicks could easily conclude that they can’t, so they instead package the picks for a climb into the top 10 for an Immanuel Quickley replacement.
Immanuel Quickley, as Buckley noted, was the Knicks’ primary scorer off the bench before being traded to the Toronto Raptors.
His absence has created an area of need for New York, who’s bench has struggled to score all playoffs.
Dillingham averaged 15.2 points per game for the Wildcats in 2023-2024, his freshman season. Kentucky finished the year with an NCAA tournament loss to Oakland.
Vecenie: Knicks Could Trade Draft Picks
While a potential trade with the Spurs isn’t yet a reported option for the Knicks, trading at least one of their first-round picks is.
In a May 12 article for The Athletic, Sam Vecenie reported that New York is a team that’s interpreted league-wide as open for business.
“The Knicks are another team seen league-wide as a potential trade partner, as coach Tom Thibodeau is not likely to want multiple first-round rookies on his team,” Vecenie wrote. “Additionally, the Knicks have generally tried to add more assets for the future to create more potential avenues to complete trades involving future draft picks.”
It would not be surprising to see the Knicks trade away even both their first-round picks. That’s exactly what Leon Rose and the front office did in the 2023 NBA Draft.
But with no players operating on a rookie deal, one would think New York will walk out of the 2024 NBA Draft with at least one young player under team control at low cost.
Fans voiced their opinion on whether or not that player should be Dillingham on Twitter, following the publishing of Buckley’s proposal.
Fans React to Buckley’s Trade Proposal
Trade proposals always get Knicks’ fans buzzing online. Nothing changes with Buckley’s most recent.
After @TheStrickland tweeted out the New York-related excerpt from Bleacher Report, fans chimed in with their reactions.
Trade 1:
Hawks receive, Keldon Johnson, Zach Collins, the No. 4…
Jay (@Jay_Boog_11 on Twitter) is pessimistic about Dillingham as a defensive liability.
Dillingham is a cone defensively and poor decision maker. And there’s no room for him in our rotation. You either get another rim protecting big cuz Mitch always hurt or you punt on on this draft
“Nah I’m good,” He tweeted on May 16. “Dillingham is a cone defensively and poor decision maker. And there’s no room for him in our rotation.”
AC (@ChwikiAnas on Twitter) thinks the best path for the Knicks is to keep and use all three draft picks.
“We should draft three young prospects and develop them,” He tweeted. “We can afford to let them come along slowly and it also works in our favor from the standpoint of rookie scale ( cheaper ) contract.”
Toussaint Carter (@ToussCarter on Twitter) argues New York should use the picks in a trade for a more seasoned player.
“Hell No,” He tweeted. “Knicks better use those picks for an established player”.
Daniel Wexler (@WexlerRules on Twitter) echoed the Quickley-comparisons from Buckley, arguing that Dillingham would become a better defender against the idea of not playing in head coach Tom Thibodeau’s rotation.
“Hardly a bad outcome,” He tweeted. “Kid can really score and if you’re a Knick you either buy in defensively or you don’t play. *Some* similarities to pre-draft IQ #Knicks”
Dillingham is undersized. Playing him next to Jalen Brunson would mean for sure-fire defensive liability, even in Thibodeau’s scheme.
But the freshman guard can score on all three levels. And the Knicks’ bench is in desperate need of more firepower.
First things first, though. New York has a Game 6 on tap with the Indiana Pacers.
Knicks Draft Day Trade Proposal Would Swap 3 Picks for Kentucky Guard