DEALS, BUT NO DAZZLE
Knicks make pair of trades before landing Houston’s Grimes in 1st round
The Knicks punted one pick and took shooting with the other.
After their package proposals couldn’t move the Knicks up in the draft and their targets went elsewhere, team president Leon Rose dealt the 19th pick to the Hornets for a heavily protected 2022 first-rounder. Rose then traded down from 21st to 25th, selecting Quentin Grimes out of Houston.
Grimes, 21, a spot-up sharpshooter, averaged 17.8 points as a junior last season while hitting 40% from from beyond the arc. He’s projected as a role player who won’t create for himself but can spread the floor and guard multiple positions at 6-foot-5. He also helped Houston reach the Final 4 last season.
Like most late first rounders, Grimes’ future is difficult to predict. The Knicks were successful last year with choosing Immanuel Quickley in the 20s. Still, the decision to trade the 19th pick was a head-scratcher. Rose couldn’t find a deal to move up for Oregon’s Chris Duarte, who was linked heavily to the Knicks but went 13th to the Pacers. Other potential targets – Virginia’s Trey Murphy III and Florida’s Tre Mann – went 17th and 18th, respectively.
Prior to the 19th pick, announcers at Barclays Center tried to excite Knicks fans in attendance. But news already leaked that it was headed to the Hornets, who selected Kai Jones, a center from Texas. It was all very anticlimactic.
New York’s 21st pick – which was originally acquired from the Mavericks in the 2019 trade involving Kristaps Porzingis – went to the Clippers.
On one hand, it made sense to trade a pick. The Knicks don’t need multiple rookies on this very young roster. On the other hand, New York’s success last season suggested it should take more of a win-now posture, rather than just accumulating future assets. The 2022 pick coming from Charlotte is protected 1-through-18, and it can’t be better than 15th before it conveys to two second-rounders in 2026.
Why would the Knicks trade for a future pick that can’t be much better than the one they already had?
Rose didn’t talk before or after the draft. His public policy is silence, having only spoken the media once since being hired in March of 2020.
Regardless, Rose’s most important work is yet to come. His Knicks are coming off a pleasantly surprising run to the Eastern Conference’s fourth-seed, equipped with a 27-year-old All-Star – Julius Randle – a budding foundational piece – RJ Barrett – but lacking the 1A superstar. That became more evident in the first-round defeat to the Hawks.
They’re strapped with over $50 million in cap space, the most in the NBA. With free agency starting August 1, Rose could orchestrate an overhaul, if so inclined. But there’s also the matter of New York’s own free agents, namely Derrick Rose, Alex Burks and Reggie Bullock.
Grimes joins an incomplete roster before free agency, with only seven other players under contract next season – Randle, Barrett, Mitchell Robinson, Kevin Knox, Luca Vildoza, Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin.
Per usual on draft night, there were twists, turns and shockers. James Bouknight, the wing out of UConn, fell to eleven after being projected in the top-5. Scottie Barnes (picked fourth), Josh Giddey (6th), Franz Wagner (8th), Davion Mitchell (9th) and Ziaire Williams (10th), Joshua Primo (12th) all went higher than expected.
Their picks in recent years have been a mixed bag. Three lottery choices – Kevin Knox, Obi Toppin and Frank Ntilikina – haven’t lived up to their position. However, two picks later in the draft – Mitchell Robinson and Quickley – have exceeded expectations.
In a move relevant to the Knicks, the Cavaliers agreed to acquired Ricky Rubio from the Timberwolves. It created a backcourt logjam and was further evidence Cleveland is prepared to deal Collin Sexton. New York has been among the teams in the mix for the scoring point guard, reportedly as the most aggressive.
PICK PG IN 2ND ROUND
The Knicks multiplied their second-round picks and got a spunky point guard in the process.
West Virginia’s Miles McBride was surprisingly still on the board and the Knicks pounced with the 36th pick. With their 34th pick, the Knicks drafted Lithuanian Rokas Jokubaitis, a 20-year-old who played last season at Barcelona.
The Knicks got those two early second-rounders from the Thunder by trading their 32nd pick.
It’s unclear if Jokubaitis will play in the NBA next season (he could be a Euro stash), but the McBride pick is intriguing for the more immediate future.
McBride, 20, is a feisty defender who averaged 15.9 points on 44% shooting as a sophomore with the Mountaineers. He’s far from polished offensively, but his defensive mindset and commitment is probably a good fit with Tom Thibodeau.