Team president Leon Rose will represent the Knicks in the NBA Draft lottery on Thursday, the team announced.
The club could take advantage of a bit of luck in the lottery – which is brought about by a random draw of ping-pong balls – considering New York hasn’t gone up in the draft in the last 16 lottery trips. The last time the Knicks stood up was in 1985, when they won the overall first prize and selected Patrick Ewing.
New York ended the season shortened in pandemic 21-45, the sixth worst record in the NBA.
They have a 9% chance of getting the first overall pick and a 28% chance of getting one of the top 3 picks. You can find a detailed look at the odds at tankathon.com and the lottery process here.
Last year, the Knicks had the third worst record in the NBA and ended up with the No. 3 ever. Ewing, the center of the Hall of Fame, represented them in the lottery. They picked RJ Barrett, a player many across the league should be taken to number 3.
It will be interesting to see how the Knicks approach the first draft of Rose. As the player’s agent at AAC, Rose represented first-round picks on draft night. Now he will be in the Knicks war room, making (or swapping) a lottery on one of the most important nights of his nascent presidency.
Rose has been described as a careful and calculated person, so it is logical to expect him and his group to explore the possibility of exchanging the lottery prize in a package for a young ascendant player.
If they stand up and select a player with their lottery winnings, will the Knicks go with the best player available or will they aim for a specific position?
If they go with a point guard, it’s worth noting that, as of late May, the club had LaMelo Ball ranked as the best point guard in the draft. The Knicks also talked to Killian Hayes and explored Cole Anthony of North Carolina extensively, SNY sources say.
In addition to the lottery pick, New York also has the 27th pick in the first round. This is provided courtesy of GM Scott Perry’s Marcus Morris transfer to the Clippers deadline. The Knicks will also have the 38th pick in the second round.