The New York Knicks went an abysmal 17-65 in 2014-2015, the league’s second-worst record. Still, there was a silver-lining for Phil Jackson’s team all season long: the ability to add a franchise-level talent with a high lottery pick in June.
But luck betrayed the Knicks on lottery night. Despite a 19.9 percent chance of winning the number one pick, New York fell to fourth due to fortune of the Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers – all but completely ending its dreams of landing Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor.
In the weeks to follow, though, reports emerged that some front office executives weren’t quite as enamored with Okafor as so many were originally. And given the meteoric rise of Kristaps Porzingis, it suddenly became possible that point guard D’Angelo Russell could be available when the Knicks choose, too.
So get excited, New York fans! Your team might select an elite prospect yet!
Well, probably not. As relayed by Marc Berman of the New York Post, the Sixers – picking just ahead of New York at no. 3 – have their hearts set on selecting Okafor or Russell after the Minnesota Timberwolves make Towns the no. 1 pick.
According to a league source, the Sixers, who pick third, still have a firm Big 3 of Karl-Anthony Towns, Russell and Okafor and won’t let any of the trio slip to Phil Jackson. Despite their young, marquee depth up front, the Sixers would take Okafor even if it’s to collect an asset to trade later.
Russell made headlines earlier this week when he abruptly cancelled a workout with Philly, long considered the team most likely to draft him. But sources later told the Philadelphia Inquirer that Russell simply fell ill and would likely re-schedule a meeting with Sam Hinkie and company in the future.
Okafor’s stock, meanwhile, remains somewhat tenuous. It was recently reported that the Lakers were “locked in” on the Chicago native with the second pick, but that news came just days after one scout said he believes Okafor will fall to the Knicks. This latest news on the Sixers’ intentions obviously supports the latter notion.
This is a good time to mention the danger of taking these reports at face value. Every team is trying to gain an edge on the competition before the draft, and certainly isn’t above putting out patently false information to get it. If Los Angeles isn’t in love with Okafor, for instance, it has an incentive to say otherwise and drive up the asking price for a potential trade. The same goes for Philly when it comes to Okafor and Russell, too.
Still, the Post’s information on the Sixers passes the smell test. Brett Brown’s team is in dire need of a playmaking guard like Russell, and has also shown it wouldn’t hesitate drafting for talent over positional need – lending credence to the thinking Okafor is still in play at no. 3 despite the presence of Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid.
And remember, Hinkie selected Elfrid Payton last June with prior understanding that the Orlando Magic were dying to acquire their current point guard. The result was a hostage negotiation that included Dario Saric and future draft considerations. Could Philly do something similar with Okafor? It certainly seems possible.
Either way, we’re just ready for the rumors to die and draft to begin. Conjecture is nothing more than that at this point, and won’t be anything more until June 25th.
