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After the New York Knicks clumsily fell from having the No. 2 pick to the No. 4 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft Lottery last week, the list of potential outcomes to this offseason appeared to grow. Instead of having only to wager whether to draft Karl-Anthony Towns or trade the No. 4 pick for a star player, the Knicks and their president Phil Jackson now have some serious options to weigh. If they keep the No. 4 pick, their decision of who to draft will depend almost entirely on what the Philadelphia 76ers do with the No. 3 pick. It is becoming understood that the Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers will be drafting Towns and Jahlil Okafor with the top two picks. Waiting it out, trading the pick and moving back in the draft order are all possibilities for the Knicks.
The Knicks have holes to fill — so much so that they won’t be able to fill them entirely through the draft. They have a few assets with trade value, and they should be actively shopping them. One team they should be in contact with is the Denver Nuggets. According to the Denver Post, “It’s realistic to expect point guard Ty Lawson or forward Kenneth Faried or both to be part of trade discussions prior to the June 25 draft.” The Knicks have tried to acquire the 25-year-old Faried in the past, but could never fully put together a package that the Nuggets thought was fair compensation. Now might be their best chance, as the Nuggets appear to be in rebuild mode.
Point guard is one of many areas where the Knicks need to improve, and it may be the most crucial. There are so many above-average point guards in the current NBA, making it fatal to not be armed with one of your own. Lawson, 27, is one of those above-average point guards, but has never really stood out during his time in Denver. He is one of the fastest players in the league, and the Knicks would welcome his explosiveness. He finished fifth in the league in assist ratio (36.2) and third in assists per game (9.6) behind only Chris Paul and John Wall.
What the Knicks might have to offer to acquire both Lawson and Faried is unknown, but it would likely have to include the No. 4 pick. The Nuggets have the No. 7 pick, so perhaps the Knicks would be able to move back to that slot. The Knicks would probably have to offer Tim Hardaway, Jr. as well, among other pieces. Hardaway, Jr. was said to be the player that the Nuggets wanted from the Knicks in order go through with a trade for Faried in the past. Jackson wants to acquire two starters through free agency, but he may be able to get two starters from Denver.
Patrick Piascik is an NBA writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @patrickpiascik.
