The New York Knicks have done little to stem the reports that the team is high on LaMelo Ball. Every indication, largely through Marc Berman of the New York Post, since the league’s shutdown has been that the team sees Ball as the point guard of the future. One report even suggested the feeling was mutual between Ball and the Knicks.
It’s been no secret that Ball is high on the Knicks big board. However, lousy lottery luck saw the Knicks drop down to the No. 8 pick, well out of realistic range for Ball. While New York has the assets to move up and has had talks about doing so before the lottery, Ian Begley of SNY reported Tuesday that the team has yet to decide if a move up for Ball is a worthwhile risk.
.@IanBegley told @EvanRobertsWFAN he has heard “whispers" from other teams that the Knicks like LaMelo Ball, but he isn’t sure if people within the organization like him enough to trade up to select him
— Daily Knicks (@DailyKnicksFS) August 25, 2020
There will certainly be teams atop the draft willing to move down, most notably in the form of the Warriors. A team with their eye on winning now, Golden State is in an odd position in a weak draft and could be open to moving back and acquiring more assets.
Even the Minnesota Timberwolves, who took a good chunk of the Knicks luck in moving up to the No. 1 pick, may be open to a trade given the lack of a clear-cut top prospect in this draft. The Knicks would have suitors for a trade but it doesn’t make the price any less steep. And for a rebuilding team like New York, is the price of multiple future draft picks worth it to select Ball?
The good news for New York is they’ll have plenty of time to deliberate that matter with the draft still multiple months away. But given all other indications, the Knicks figure to be a factor one way or another in October’s draft.