Chaos is expected when draft day rolls around the corner.
Names are flying off the board as trade picks are exchanged quicker than you can say Bob’s your uncle. It’s natural to get lost in the flurry, but the Knicks seemed to bring an added twist of confusion to this year’s NBA draft.
Jalen Duren, who was selected as the No. 13 pick, was at the center of the storm as he found himself in the middle of a three-way trade that involved the Hornets, Knicks and Pistons. The Memphis standout was selected by Charlotte, but then his rights were traded over to New York. who then traded Duren to Detroit in a trade package that included guard Kemba Walker.
But that was not the Knicks only trade. Ousmane Dieng, originally selected by New York at No. 11, was traded to the Thunder, and in return, the Knicks received three conditional first-round picks.
Knicks president Leon Rose said the trades gave the franchise “increased financial flexibility and additional draft capital moving forward” with 11 total first round picks over the next seven years. The Knicks also exited the draft with $18 million in cap space.
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New York reportedly made these moves so they can pursue free agent Jalen Brunson with this cap space, per Marc Stein.
Rose said in his statement that the focus was to be “strategic and thoughtful in our team building” while “prioritizing our player development program.”
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