The NBA draft is almost upon us and in a normal year, the New York Knicks might be sharpening up for what could be some shrewd moves at the back end of the first round and into the early part of tomorrow’s second round, where the Knicks own the first pick (as well as No. 55 overall). But, even after winning this year’s NBA championship, and even with the bliss that has come from finally exorcising a 53-year title ghost, this is still a team owned by one James Dolan, and Dolan knows how to rain on just about any parade.
He did that last week when he declared that the Knicks will not delve into the second apron of the NBA’s luxury tax, and with only about $15 million of space under that limit, that appeared to handcuff the Knicks’ offseason in a significant way. The conventional wisdom is that a team in one of the NBA’s biggest markets would shell out to keep its roster together after a title win.
But with Mitchell Robinson likely to cost more than $20 million annually in free agency, Landry Shamet more than $10 million and Jose Alvarado at least $4.5 million. the chances of bringing back the whole crew are nil, if Dolan sticks with his second-apron edict.
Knicks Seeking to Trade NBA Draft Picks
That brings us to Tuesday’s draft in Brooklyn. If they’re truly bent on watching every dollar under the apron, the Knicks could very well punt on their draft picks–remember, picks are not free. The first-rounder the Knicks have at No. 24 (where we at Heavy have them picking Isaiah Evans, who was in for a recent workout) would be guaranteed a salary of $3.4 million in the first season, according to Forbes, and $17.3 million over four years.
With that in mind, the New York Post writes that the Knicks could seek a deal for that pick, tying it to Alvarado’s decision to push back his player option decision to the end of this week.
Writes Stefan Bondy of the Post: “Trading the pick helps financial flexibility and, according to league sources, the Knicks are exploring multiple deals. Not coincidentally, Alvarado agreed to push back the deadline for his player option from Monday until after the draft (Friday). There are a lot of unsettled money matters.”
All Options on the Table
The Knicks would have the option to trade the No. 24 pick for a future first-rounder. But then, they could simply use the pick as a way to replace Robinson or Shamet–$3.4 million is cheap labor, especially if they can lock up someone who will crack their playing rotation.
The second-round pick is just as interesting. Those contracts are not guaranteed, nor are they set by a rookie scale. Again, the Knicks could gamble on bringing in cheap labor by using the pick.
Another option–for either pick, really–would be picking an international player who is willing to stay overseas for a year. There are not many such players on the board in this draft, but Spanish guard Sergio de Larrea could be one willing to play in Europe for a year before coming back to the NBA. That would give the Knicks and asset, at least, and allow them to put off his salary.
Knicks ‘Exploring Multiple Deals’ for Picks as NBA Draft Approaches