Despite having the second-worst record in the NBA, drafting fourth was always the most likely outcome for the New York Knicks.
The pingpong balls at Tuesday's Draft Lottery bounced that way, with the Los Angeles Lakers making the jump to No. 2 and the Knicks landing at No. 4, where there was a 31.9-percent chance they'd be picking. Initially, that has to sting for fans who withstood a terrible season in hopes of the No. 1 pick.
@JonesOnTheNBA pic.twitter.com/9uPRUaauKu
— Nick Metallinos (@NickMetallinos) May 20, 2015
The fourth selection is hardly a bad place to be in. If they keep the pick, the Knicks will likely choose between one of Karl-Anthony Towns, Jahlil Okafor, Emmanuel Mudiay and D'Angelo Russell, the four players likely to go in the top three. Justise Winslow, who the Knicks seem fond of, is also a possibility.
It's not as good as picking from the entire class atop the draft, but very good players will be available at No. 4.
If the Knicks make the pick, that is.
Immediately following the lottery, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reported that the Knicks' pick will now be "very available" in trade talks.
General manager Steve Mills said more or less the same thing at the lottery. Mills told Chris Herring of the Wall Street Journal that he believes the team can draft an impact player who fits with superstar Carmelo Anthony, but how they feel out the free-agent landscape could alter their draft strategy.
"We're going to be open to a lot of things," Mills said.
This is nothing new, as president Phil Jackson said in April that the Knicks would consider trading a top pick. Exploring every option is what a good front office does, and nothing should be considered off the table this early in the offseason.
That doesn't mean trading the pick is the prudent move. Dealing a building block for the future to turn a 17-win team into first-round playoff fodder in a misguided win-now attempt for the soon-to-be 31-year-old Anthony could serve to relegate the Knicks to mediocrity for years to come.
With ample cap space, the better play may be to draft a useful, young, cheap asset to pair with Anthony and the team's free-agent targets.
