The New York Knicks are in line for a high draft pick this June, and whatever happens with it will be extremely important for the future of the team, which went 17-65 this season. The Knicks front office is reportedly infatuated with Karl-Anthony Towns, Jahlil Okafor and Emmanuel Mudiay, but could trade the pick if it's not right near the top, via ESPN:
Phil Jackson has said he will likely keep the pick if it falls within the top four, but will consider dealing the pick if it falls to No. 5. Of course, Jackson could change his thinking between now and draft night. League sources with knowledge of the Knicks' thinking said last month that the team would be very open to trading the pick if it falls outside the top two.
The last thing most New York fans want to hear in this context is "very open," as the franchise has been known for going for the quick fix for what feels like forever. The more sensible option, as CBSSports.com's Zach Harper explained recently, is almost certainly to use the pick then try to add other building blocks in free agency. The matter is complicated by the fact that the Knicks employ Carmelo Anthony, who will turn 31 at the end of this month.
As we've said before, it's not necessarily a problem that the Knicks are open to trading the pick. Teams should generally be open to just about everything. It just seems highly unlikely that going that route will lead to sustained success, so it's a bit worrying that the topic keeps coming up. This offseason should be telling.
