Report: Knicks, Nets trying to buy late 1st- or early 2nd-round draft picks

As things stand, draft night is going to be an uneventful affair for the local contingent, as neither New York-based team will be picking in the first round. In fact, neither team is set to pick until the sixth-last selection in the draft. This, despite both finishing with bottom-seven records this season.

The Brooklyn Nets owe their first-rounder (slated for No. 3 overall) to the Boston Celtics, while the New York Knicks owe theirs (slated for No. 7) to either the Denver Nuggets or Toronto Raptors. The Knicks don't have a second-round pick, either, as it's been promised to the Houston Rockets. The Nets lost their own second-rounder in a swap with the the Los Angeles Clippers, thanks to the Clippers failing to secure a top-five record in the NBA this season (they finished sixth). The Nets traded swap rights for the pick way back in 2012, but the swap was protected in the event the Clippers' pick fell between 56 and 60. It ended up 55th. Ouch.

In any event, both the Knicks and Nets are reportedly trying to buy their way into better draft position (or in the Knicks' case, draft position). The teams are targeting late first- and early second-round picks, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.

How they plan to procure those picks - given the paucity of tradeable assets on each roster - is another matter. It's worth noting, however, that both managed to turn the trick on draft night last year. The Nets traded Mason Plumlee for the No. 23 pick (Rondae Hollis-Jefferson), while the Knicks moved Tim Hardaway Jr. for No. 19 (Jerian Grant). So, it can happen.

The Nets, this time around, would almost certainly have to part with either Brook Lopez or Thaddeus Young in order to pry loose a first-rounder. For the Knicks - who, one can safely assume, aren't letting anyone sniff Kristaps Porzingis - Robin Lopez, Arron Afflalo, or Langston Galloway could conceivably fetch decent picks, though a first-rounder would be a reach for the latter two.