After missing the postseason, the New York Knicks are widely expected to improve their backcourt either through free agency or the trade market.
New York’s point guard depth is murky at best, and most of their rostered players (Derrick Rose, Kemba Walker, Alec Bucks) do not project as long-term bets.
The Knicks could make sense as a home for Donovan Mitchell if Utah decides to blow it up. Notable free agent guards, specifically Jalen Brunson and Tyus Jones, are often linked to New York as fits this offseason as well.
But perhaps the organization could also look to make such changes by using the NBA draft. One potential target is Purdue’s Jaden Ivey, who has received comparisons to Mitchell by analysts such as The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor.
Purdue's Jaden Ivey put his powerful first step, explosiveness and clean shooting stroke on display at the CAA Pro Day yesterday in front of a packed house of NBA decision makers. pic.twitter.com/pRtTD8CExL
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 28, 2022
The ping pong balls gave New York the No. 11 overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft on lottery night, which means that Ivey will almost definitely be off the board when they are on the clock. However, according to Jake Fischer, Ivey is still mentioned as someone the Knicks covet (via Bleacher Report):
“Elsewhere in the point guard conversation, word of New York’s interest in Purdue sophomore Jaden Ivey has been often repeated by league personnel. Ivey, though, is all but assured to be selected within the first six picks of the draft, where the Indiana Pacers are considered by several executives contacted by B/R as his floor.”
Fischer isn’t the first to make the connection between Ivey and the Knicks.
Marc Berman, of the New York Post, recently reported that Ivey was one of the twenty prospects that the Knicks met with at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago.
Berman also hinted Ivey’s agency representation could ignite these rumors:
“It’s also noteworthy is that Ivey is a Creative Artists Agency client — guided by Aaron Mintz, a friend of Knicks president Leon Rose, who used to run CAA.”
For better or for worse, whether it’s with the hiring process for coaches or on draft night, the CAA connections have followed the Knicks for years.
Those whispers are inevitable when you hire someone like Rose, who ran CAA’s basketball division for years. Rose, alongside New York head coach and CAA client Tom Thibodeau, was recently spotted at Ivey’s Pro Day with CAA in Southern California.
New York Knicks front office sitting front and center at the CAA pro day watching Jaden Ivey.
Sitting right next to them was the Sacramento Kings front office who are set to draft at 4th overall. #NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/l32fPfN3LF
— Leon Froze (@Not47Buddz) May 28, 2022
Of course, there is always a chance that New York’s reported interest in the former Purdue star was planted to help boost his draft stock. Ivey, however, is a good enough player that the interest is likely at least mostly legitimate and deserved.
Putting the CAA connection aside, I like the fit for Ivey with the Knicks. He has real star power, and few would tell you there is a better backcourt player in this class.
Ivey is also probably the most athletic prospect in this draft class. The guard was one of the most productive scorers on unassisted field goals made at the rim and on the perimeter last season.
Additionally, he brings something to the table that New York doesn’t currently have. The Knicks ended this season with the fifth-lowest transition frequency, per Synergy. Ivey, meanwhile, ended his campaign as one of the leading scorers when finishing as the ball handler in transition.
There is no reason for Knicks fans to get their hopes up about Ivey magically becoming available with the No. 11 overall pick. However, in this scenario, I believe there is enough smoke surrounding these rumors that I wouldn’t at all be surprised if the front office decides to trade up.
League executives reportedly believe the Kings will trade the No. 4 pick for a win-now veteran. https://t.co/zM9aPUc9ea pic.twitter.com/Pdw90ORl9H
— Sactown Royalty (@sactownroyalty) May 23, 2022
It is worth mentioning that, per Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman, the Thunder are at least considering Ivey at No. 3 overall. Otherwise, the main team to watch as a trade partner for the Knicks is the Kings, who own the No. 4 overall pick in the draft.
At the trade deadline, Sacramento traded away promising young guard Tyrese Haliburton for the veteran big man Domantas Sabonis. This suggests the Kings are satisfied with their backcourt duo of De’Aaron Fox and Davion Mitchell, and thus they probably won’t want Ivey, either.
When the Kings hired Mike Brown, he was given a “mandate” to make the playoffs. So if they are in win-now mode, there are veterans in New York who could help that in the immediate more than a rookie like Ivey.
The Knicks could package some depth (Burks, Rose, Evan Fournier, Nerlens Noel, Cam Reddish) that may intrigue the Kings. They are also armed with their own lottery pick this year, two first-rounders next year, and a ton of second-rounders over the course of the next few years.
Given his potential All-Star trajectory and showstopping highlight reel that could electrify Madison Square Garden, New York’s front office ought to do whatever they can to land Ivey. The home-run swing could be well worth the investment.
