The NY Knicks are picking in the top five in the NBA draft this year and players like Cameron Payne, Trey Lyles, Justise Winslow, Emmanuel Mudiay and Willie Cauley-Stein are potential targets for Phil Jackson and this comes as players like Greg Monroe, LaMarcus Aldridge and Rajon Rondo could be free agent options this summer.
The Knicks are expected to work out a number of players leading into the draft and reports have Mudiay and Payne as two of the first. Justise Winslow has been mentioned in numerous mock drafts as a top target for the Knicks, with Chad Ford at ESPN.com predicting that Jackson will pick him, as he is a potential fit for the triangle offense with his size. According to Ian Begley at ESPN, the Knicks are narrowing their list and Payne has emerged as a potential pick as the team has done their background work.
Begley writes that league sources said the Knicks are doing "more than due diligence" on Payne and that they are "serious " about considering him in the first round. The report has Payne as a "middle-to-late first round" pick and that could put Jackson in a position where he wants to trade down. Payne has emerged as one of the top targets at point guard in this draft after a strong run at Murray State and he has also been targeted by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
According to Draft Express, the Thunder have reportedly told Payne that they will draft him if he is available at 14. Clearly the Knicks are interested and if they trade down they will have to keep an eye out for the Thunder. Pro Basketball Talk reported last week that the Knicks were interested in Trey Lyles, who is also considered to be a mid-round pick.
The Knicks have said that they will consider trading the number four pick in the draft and looking at Payne and Lyles hard could signal that is what they will do. The Boston Celtics have expressed interest in moving up for Willie Cauley-Stein and they have two first round picks to dangle in any deal if the Knicks are interested.
Mudiay and Winslow have set workouts with the Knicks and the team is going to take a long look at Payne, as he fits a major need at point guard. Mudiay is also a point guard and the team could look at D'Angelo Russell at four, but most draft experts think he will go to the Philadelphia 76ers with the third pick (or the Lakers at two). The Knicks had hoped to get one of the top two picks for the chance to get Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor, but they ended up getting jumped by the Lakers in the lottery.
The Knicks are expected to be active in free agency this offseason, as they will have $25 million in projected cap space to use on players. Greg Monroe is considered a top target, as Frank Isola reported that he is likely to leave the Pistons this offseason. The Knicks also could chase Rajon Rondo or LaMarcus Aldridge, but they will have competition on the market from other teams. Marc Gasol is a dram option, but he is likely to stay in Memphis and also will have suitors in the Spurs and Lakers.
