Report: LaMelo Ball wants to be drafted by New York Knicks

LaMelo Ball and his camp reportedly are as focused as ending up in New York as the Knicks are focused on landing the youngest Ball brother.

The noise surrounding the New York Knicks and LaMelo Ball has been as loud as its been persistent in recent months. On one side, the Knicks franchise has made it clear they rate Ball highly. On the other side, LaVar Ball has made it known that New York is where he wants his son to land.

As the old saying goes, where there’s smoke, there is fire and in this situation, the smoke continues to billow. In a recent piece for SNY, Ian Begley revealed that other teams are becoming aware of LaMelo’s own desire to go to New York.

“As teams do their homework on players in the draft, there’s been a consistent theme about LaMelo Ball: multiple teams believe Ball and those in his circle prefer that he lands in New York. (Those teams have picks projected later in the first round than the Knicks, for what it’s worth.)”

The Knicks’ desire for Ball has included ranking him atop their draft board as well as discussing potential trade scenarios even before the draft lottery. Leon Rose’s position in the front office means the links between the franchise and former Creative Artists Agency client Ball are going to continue as well.

This report, though, is the first time Ball’s own preference has come into the focus. LaVar has never shied away from making his opinion heard but LaMelo is much more content with sitting in the background. That being said, New York still could be a great landing spot for him, as Lonzo pointed out earlier this season.

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