The New York Knicks have the No. 4 pick in the NBA Draft, and there has been a lot of clutter to sort through as to their plans with the pick. Here are three rumors you need to know:
Phil Jackson "Exploring All Possibilities" With #4 Draft Pick
According to a New York Times report (via ESPN.com), Knicks president Phil Jackson is keeping his mind open as the days tick down to decision day:
Knicks general manager Steve Mills, who was interviewed alongside Jackson, said the team has fielded calls from “a lot of teams” about trading the No. 4 overall pick in next week’s draft. Jackson said the team is “exploring all our possibilities.”
ESPN’s Chad Ford reported that the Knicks have considered trading the pick if Jahlil Okafor, Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell are off of the board.
Jackson said the Knicks will likely take a wing or a guard in the draft and try to fill their deficiencies in the front court through free agency.
“We’re going to have to search out some big men,” he said.
Draft Target D'Angelo Russell Says He Could "Definitely Thrive" In Triangle
Ohio State point guard D’Angelo Russell is one of the three prospects the New York Knicks are reportedly targeting with the #4 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, and it appears he’d be quite fine coming to MSG and becoming the primary facilitator in the triangle offense.
“Now that I look at it, Kobe had great success in it. The shots that he took, the shots that he made were in the same areas, all from the offense. So I think I can definitely thrive there,” Russell said during a phone interview on Friday, via ESPN.com.
It may be unlikely that Russell will still be on the board when the Knicks hit the clock this coming Thursday, but he’s comfortable with the scene in New York if by some chance he is selected by New York.
“It was great, just to be in the mecca,” Russell said of a recent Knicks workout in the city. “It was my second workout. Just being in New York was a great feeling and getting the opportunity to work out for one of most well-known teams in the NBA was just a blessing.”
“They did a great job of opening the doors for me and letting me ask anything I needed,” he added. “I asked them what’s one thing I can do to separate myself and they gave me some great knowledge on that. They’ve seen the greatest of the greats come through this league. So they know what it takes.”
New York Trying To Get Late First-Round Pick
According to RealGM, the Knicks “are in active discussions offering cash considerations to acquire a draft pick in the late first-round to early second-round range.”
The end goal for the Knicks appears to be drafting French big man Mam Jaiteh, who is a projected early second-round pick, but is rising quickly up draft boards.
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