Appearing on a French podcast, agent of the lottery prospect Killian Hayes indicated that the guard interviewed the Knicks and will not meet the Cleveland Cavaliers since, he says, the team is not interested in selecting him. The Cavs finished with the second worst record in the league, which will give them the second highest stake in the lottery.
Hayes played professionally for the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) ratiopharm Ulm last season. It is considered the best league in Germany and EuroCup. The 6-foot-5 guard is considered a flagship guard in this year’s draft, making comparisons with NBA superstar James Harden.
The Knicks are looking for a guide guard to add to their core pieces by Mitchell Robinson and RJ Barrett. Recently it has been reported that they have LaMelo Ball as their point guard in their draft, and the desire to have the tip guard play in New York is reciprocated by Ball field.
The Knicks have the sixth best odds to get the best choice in the draft. They could choose between 1-10, except for the fifth. If Ball is off the scoreboard, or if they decide that Hayes is their main target, they can hope that the ping pong balls come their way, or try to orchestrate a trade using their excess capital with an additional first round drawdown from the Clippers this year and two first-round choices due from Dallas in the coming years.
According to The Stepien’s scouting report, Hayes is considered an elite passage guard guide who “provides flexibility in training thanks to the shooting and quick decision-making process that passes the ball (swings).” He can play both inside and outside the ball.