NBA insider believes Knicks will consider trading up in draft for LaMelo Ball

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The New York Knicks, with a 21-45 record this season, have the 6th best odds to select first in the 2020 NBA draft, whenever it’s to take place.

But if the ping pong balls don’t fall their way, the Knicks could trade up in order to select a player like LaMelo Ball according to NBA insider Chad Ford.

This is what Ford said recentlyonthe Locked on Warriors podcast,per SNY:

“I think there’s one team that I see out there that might be desperate to get up and really make some buzz, and that’s the Knicks,” Ford said. “And if the Knicks don’t get the number one pick in this draft, just given the trajectory of that franchise over the years, I could see them, they have some assets, they’ll still probably have a fairly high lottery pick, packaging all of that together to try to get up to make a big splash. And if there’s a guy that sort of makes sense in New York, it’s LaMelo Ball.”

LaMelo Ball, the younger brother of Pelicans starting guard Lonzo Ball, could be the popular fit in New York. The 6-foot-7 point guard, who officially declared for the 2020 draft in late April, averaged 17.0 points. 6.8 assists, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.6 steals while playing 31.3 minutes per action in 12 games for Illawarra of Australia’s NBL.