New York Knicks president Phil Jackson said prior to the 2015 NBA Draft Lottery that he'd be willing to trade the team's draft pick if it fell out of the top three. Now with the #4 selection in hand, word around the team is that the Knicks may be changing their tune.
Knicks general manager Steve Mills said after the disappointment of falling to No. 4 that the club will “explore all options.’’ But a person debriefed on the front office’s thinking said trading down is not a top priority because the goal is to get the best player in a deal, not a second asset. If the Knicks ultimately judge (Emmanuel) Mudiay, (Duke's Justise) Winslow or Kentucky big man Willie Cauley-Stein as most impactful, they will stay put. Jackson said after the season the chances of them trading the pick would increase if they fell to the fifth pick.
There's also the fact that it doesn't appear the trade market for the #4 pick will be nearly a ripe as that for the #1 or #2 pick, with Kentucky's Karl-Anthony Towns and Duke's Jahlil Okafor standing as the two top consensus prizes of this draft.
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