Report: Knicks have 'serious' interest in drafting Cameron Payne

The New York Knicks were bad enough in 2014-15 to merit a top-two draft pick, but the ping pong balls felt otherwise, and the Knicks tumbled in the lottery to No. 4.

With presumed Nos. 1 and 2 Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor effectively out of the picture, the Knicks had to start thinking about maximizing their pick, which may involve getting creative.

According to ESPN's Ian Begley, sources say the Knicks are "serious" about Murray State point guard Cameron Payne, who's reportedly slated to work out for the team during the week of June 15.

Payne is widely considered to be a late lottery pick; ESPN's Chad Ford has him going 11th to the Indiana Pacers in his latest mock draft, while DraftExpress has him being taken 14th by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Thunder are rumored to have made a promise to take Payne at 14, but it's looking increasingly unlikely he'll be available that late.

If the Knicks are indeed serious about picking him, though, they likely won't need the fourth overall selection to do so. Which, as Begley points out, raises the prospect of them trading down in the draft.

That's not an entirely new or surprising notion. Since the lottery, the team's front office has been open about the fact that it will consider all possibilities, including dealing the pick.

In his sophomore season at Murray State, Payne led the Ohio Valley Conference in points per game (20.2) and ranked second in assists (six) and steals (1.9), while shooting 45.6 percent from the field and 37.7 percent from deep.