Knicks · 2026 Draft 6/23 & 6/24 (page 8)
martin wrote:Been thinking about this tweet. Knicks got GTA and Kolek, both of whom I’m assuming Knicks FO love and would be glad to keep.But if Alvarado doesn’t extend, do you think about drafting Ebuka Okorie if he drops?
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Big veteran guard Bruce Brown is available as a FA. Might be had for vet min as a fall back option depending on what happens with Deuce, Alvarado, Shamet.
newyorknewyork wrote:martin wrote:Been thinking about this tweet. Knicks got GTA and Kolek, both of whom I’m assuming Knicks FO love and would be glad to keep.But if Alvarado doesn’t extend, do you think about drafting Ebuka Okorie if he drops?
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Click here to view the TweetBig veteran guard Bruce Brown is available as a FA. Might be had for vet min as a fall back option depending on what happens with Deuce, Alvarado, Shamet.
I do wonder about a few other paths forward that are much more tantalizing. I have no idea the mindset of NBA players who have already earned $100-200M in their playing time but let's give this a try.
CJ McCollum has earned $250M over the past 15 years and will be 35 soon. Does someone like him watch the Knicks finals run and think about a 1 year flier cause that is some lifetime level shit to be a part of as a vet min player off the bench? Super upgrade from Clarkson, etc.
Or does LeBron think about creating father-son moments in his last year in the league at the vet min because fuck it, all the trophy hunting labels don't even come close to spending time with your son and playing in MSG regularly?
Not likely but also not unthinkable
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still I would rather the knicks draft a ball handler.
I also think if we can flip pacome dadiet for a future 2nd the knicks will do it (to save $).
DLeethal wrote:If we are resigning Mitch for 2 years we need a 3rd string C that can reliably step in if Mitch is injured or getting hack a Mitch'ed. The best way to fill that role is with a talented rookie contract. And reserve bigs are usually easy to find in the 20s.
Ejiofor or Reed at 24 or 31.
aggo wrote:maybe they see zuby as a more agile Jaylin Williams type role player. tweener that has shown upside and progress at the 3pt% and is stout enough to guard the post (think how precious couldn't vs sengun).still I would rather the knicks draft a ball handler.
I also think if we can flip pacome dadiet for a future 2nd the knicks will do it (to save $).
That's certainly a Leon type of move, plus it gives MCcallum a roster spot. I can see Deuce being traded also maybe for a pick or a positional vet. We already have Shamet, Jose and Kolek. Team has room to make improvements on the margins. Optimistic about the draft for future rotation players. Team also has the option to sign a ring chasing vet on a minimum.
I think he’d be a home run. He can sit for a year if he’s not ready. But we’d potentially have a guy to lead our bench and even play with Brunson. Alvarado and Kolek have looked good with Brunson. Imagine how good Okorie could be with Brunson
He’s a shorter guard at 6’2” but has a 6’8” wingspan and an insane first step. Averaged 23 pts/game as a freshman. Shot 47/35/83. He used all his energy on offense bc his team wasn’t great, but he has the the tools to be a plus defender
My dream draft:
Use Deuce, future 2nds and / or Dadiet to acquire a late teens / early 20’s pick to get Okorie
24: Zuby
31: Reed (we can trade up a few slots to guarantee we get him)
I love Mitch but I think the combo of Zuby / Reed could outperform him as soon as next year. Mitch is injury prone, a head case and unable to improve. His game is 100% based on athleticism and he’s not going to age gracefully. I’m ok going over the 2nd apron to keep him, but I think we’d be better off with Zuby and Reed and not going over
Not including vets who want to be a Knick next year on the cheap, our team can be:
Starters: Brunson, Bridges, Hart, OG, KAT
Bench: Alvarado, Shamet, McCullar, Diawara, Zuby / Reed
Deep Bench: Okorie (pushes Alvarado for mins), Kolek, Dadiet(if not traded for Okorie), Huk (or a vet)
I think Diawara can be a positive bench piece based on what we saw this year. Tons of potential with his insane size / length. McCullar is another guy who deserves a chance to be in the rotation as a solid all around player.
PatCummings wrote:I’ve been reading lots of mock drafts and there is a chance that a stud PG prospect, like Ebuka Okorie, drops into the 20’s. There’s a lot of really good PG’s in this draft and someone will dropI think he’d be a home run. He can sit for a year if he’s not ready. But we’d potentially have a guy to lead our bench and even play with Brunson. Alvarado and Kolek have looked good with Brunson. Imagine how good Okorie could be with Brunson
He’s a shorter guard at 6’2” but has a 6’8” wingspan and an insane first step. Averaged 23 pts/game as a freshman. Shot 47/35/83. He used all his energy on offense bc his team wasn’t great, but he has the the tools to be a plus defender
My dream draft:
Use Deuce, future 2nds and / or Dadiet to acquire a late teens / early 20’s pick to get Okorie
24: Zuby
31: Reed (we can trade up a few slots to guarantee we get him)I love Mitch but I think the combo of Zuby / Reed could outperform him as soon as next year. Mitch is injury prone, a head case and unable to improve. His game is 100% based on athleticism and he’s not going to age gracefully. I’m ok going over the 2nd apron to keep him, but I think we’d be better off with Zuby and Reed and not going over
Not including vets who want to be a Knick next year on the cheap, our team can be:
Starters: Brunson, Bridges, Hart, OG, KAT
Bench: Alvarado, Shamet, McCullar, Diawara, Zuby / Reed
Deep Bench: Okorie (pushes Alvarado for mins), Kolek, Dadiet(if not traded for Okorie), Huk (or a vet)I think Diawara can be a positive bench piece based on what we saw this year. Tons of potential with his insane size / length. McCullar is another guy who deserves a chance to be in the rotation as a solid all around player.
This would be an A+ draft scenario for me and could totally see it hypothetically happening
martin wrote:PatCummings wrote:I’ve been reading lots of mock drafts and there is a chance that a stud PG prospect, like Ebuka Okorie, drops into the 20’s. There’s a lot of really good PG’s in this draft and someone will dropI think he’d be a home run. He can sit for a year if he’s not ready. But we’d potentially have a guy to lead our bench and even play with Brunson. Alvarado and Kolek have looked good with Brunson. Imagine how good Okorie could be with Brunson
He’s a shorter guard at 6’2” but has a 6’8” wingspan and an insane first step. Averaged 23 pts/game as a freshman. Shot 47/35/83. He used all his energy on offense bc his team wasn’t great, but he has the the tools to be a plus defender
My dream draft:
Use Deuce, future 2nds and / or Dadiet to acquire a late teens / early 20’s pick to get Okorie
24: Zuby
31: Reed (we can trade up a few slots to guarantee we get him)I love Mitch but I think the combo of Zuby / Reed could outperform him as soon as next year. Mitch is injury prone, a head case and unable to improve. His game is 100% based on athleticism and he’s not going to age gracefully. I’m ok going over the 2nd apron to keep him, but I think we’d be better off with Zuby and Reed and not going over
Not including vets who want to be a Knick next year on the cheap, our team can be:
Starters: Brunson, Bridges, Hart, OG, KAT
Bench: Alvarado, Shamet, McCullar, Diawara, Zuby / Reed
Deep Bench: Okorie (pushes Alvarado for mins), Kolek, Dadiet(if not traded for Okorie), Huk (or a vet)I think Diawara can be a positive bench piece based on what we saw this year. Tons of potential with his insane size / length. McCullar is another guy who deserves a chance to be in the rotation as a solid all around player.
This would be an A+ draft scenario for me and could totally see it hypothetically happening
Would you let OKC have Deuce and 31 for 17?
EwingsGlass wrote:martin wrote:PatCummings wrote:I’ve been reading lots of mock drafts and there is a chance that a stud PG prospect, like Ebuka Okorie, drops into the 20’s. There’s a lot of really good PG’s in this draft and someone will dropI think he’d be a home run. He can sit for a year if he’s not ready. But we’d potentially have a guy to lead our bench and even play with Brunson. Alvarado and Kolek have looked good with Brunson. Imagine how good Okorie could be with Brunson
He’s a shorter guard at 6’2” but has a 6’8” wingspan and an insane first step. Averaged 23 pts/game as a freshman. Shot 47/35/83. He used all his energy on offense bc his team wasn’t great, but he has the the tools to be a plus defender
My dream draft:
Use Deuce, future 2nds and / or Dadiet to acquire a late teens / early 20’s pick to get Okorie
24: Zuby
31: Reed (we can trade up a few slots to guarantee we get him)I love Mitch but I think the combo of Zuby / Reed could outperform him as soon as next year. Mitch is injury prone, a head case and unable to improve. His game is 100% based on athleticism and he’s not going to age gracefully. I’m ok going over the 2nd apron to keep him, but I think we’d be better off with Zuby and Reed and not going over
Not including vets who want to be a Knick next year on the cheap, our team can be:
Starters: Brunson, Bridges, Hart, OG, KAT
Bench: Alvarado, Shamet, McCullar, Diawara, Zuby / Reed
Deep Bench: Okorie (pushes Alvarado for mins), Kolek, Dadiet(if not traded for Okorie), Huk (or a vet)I think Diawara can be a positive bench piece based on what we saw this year. Tons of potential with his insane size / length. McCullar is another guy who deserves a chance to be in the rotation as a solid all around player.
This would be an A+ draft scenario for me and could totally see it hypothetically happening
Would you let OKC have Deuce and 31 for 17?
I think the idea is right but perhaps not the trade partner in OKC? They got all the small guards in place - Carson Wallace, Topic, Ajay, McCain, Isaiah Joe, Wiggins - and not enough minutes.
This is surely one of the best drafts for the Knicks considering their draft spots and roster situation. They got lots of flexibility to do nothing or something wild or lots of small moves to help solidify the long term. I’m interested to see how it unfolds
PatCummings wrote:I’ve been reading lots of mock drafts and there is a chance that a stud PG prospect, like Ebuka Okorie, drops into the 20’s. There’s a lot of really good PG’s in this draft and someone will dropI think he’d be a home run. He can sit for a year if he’s not ready. But we’d potentially have a guy to lead our bench and even play with Brunson. Alvarado and Kolek have looked good with Brunson. Imagine how good Okorie could be with Brunson
He’s a shorter guard at 6’2” but has a 6’8” wingspan and an insane first step. Averaged 23 pts/game as a freshman. Shot 47/35/83. He used all his energy on offense bc his team wasn’t great, but he has the the tools to be a plus defender
My dream draft:
Use Deuce, future 2nds and / or Dadiet to acquire a late teens / early 20’s pick to get Okorie
24: Zuby
31: Reed (we can trade up a few slots to guarantee we get him)I love Mitch but I think the combo of Zuby / Reed could outperform him as soon as next year. Mitch is injury prone, a head case and unable to improve. His game is 100% based on athleticism and he’s not going to age gracefully. I’m ok going over the 2nd apron to keep him, but I think we’d be better off with Zuby and Reed and not going over
Not including vets who want to be a Knick next year on the cheap, our team can be:
Starters: Brunson, Bridges, Hart, OG, KAT
Bench: Alvarado, Shamet, McCullar, Diawara, Zuby / Reed
Deep Bench: Okorie (pushes Alvarado for mins), Kolek, Dadiet(if not traded for Okorie), Huk (or a vet)I think Diawara can be a positive bench piece based on what we saw this year. Tons of potential with his insane size / length. McCullar is another guy who deserves a chance to be in the rotation as a solid all around player.
I don't follow college ball or dig into draft selections so I don't know the players referenced, but I like the overall framework to your approach.
There is a way to continue upgrade this roster by moving some players and using the draft.
Mitch and Deuce are not essential and we can replace Mitch with a good draft or free agency.
Deuce has faded badly this playoffs and it may be due to his surgery recovery since he was shooting out the lights earlier this year.
All backcourt decisions going forward should be 100% built off pairing with Brunson and backup up Brunson with ball handlers.
Jose could stay, but Kolek is really the better player long-term so I'd rather follow your idea and draft a backup PG in a PG-rich draft and roll with Kolek instead of Jose.
McCullar, Diawara and Kolek are next up to gain rotation minutes so losing some players now won't weaken us as long as the pipeline keeps being built.
The big question about Diawara will be can he matchup well on either end of the court with a wide range of bigs or is he just a SF with a big wingspan.
The answer to this question may dictate future decisions about front court construction, but for now they still should prioritize drafting a legit PF who can defend both F and C positions, especially if they move on from Mitch.
If they re-sign Deuce and Mitch and blow out the cap for two years then there is still roster room to feed the pipeline with new talent.
Dadiet is a big question mark in the Knicks future plans. If they don't plan on moving him into the rotation next season they have to move him.
Lots of slots to consider with the futures of Huk, Sochan, Jemison, Jones, Shamet and Clarkson in the lineup.
It should be easy to swap out multiples of these players with high quality draft picks and developmental players and see the Knicks get stronger over the next 2-3 years.
Personally, the one player I'd prioritize for a 2-year deal is Shamet. Then maybe Mitch after that. Deuce we should move for some value now IMO.
EwingsGlass wrote:martin wrote:PatCummings wrote:I’ve been reading lots of mock drafts and there is a chance that a stud PG prospect, like Ebuka Okorie, drops into the 20’s. There’s a lot of really good PG’s in this draft and someone will dropI think he’d be a home run. He can sit for a year if he’s not ready. But we’d potentially have a guy to lead our bench and even play with Brunson. Alvarado and Kolek have looked good with Brunson. Imagine how good Okorie could be with Brunson
He’s a shorter guard at 6’2” but has a 6’8” wingspan and an insane first step. Averaged 23 pts/game as a freshman. Shot 47/35/83. He used all his energy on offense bc his team wasn’t great, but he has the the tools to be a plus defender
My dream draft:
Use Deuce, future 2nds and / or Dadiet to acquire a late teens / early 20’s pick to get Okorie
24: Zuby
31: Reed (we can trade up a few slots to guarantee we get him)I love Mitch but I think the combo of Zuby / Reed could outperform him as soon as next year. Mitch is injury prone, a head case and unable to improve. His game is 100% based on athleticism and he’s not going to age gracefully. I’m ok going over the 2nd apron to keep him, but I think we’d be better off with Zuby and Reed and not going over
Not including vets who want to be a Knick next year on the cheap, our team can be:
Starters: Brunson, Bridges, Hart, OG, KAT
Bench: Alvarado, Shamet, McCullar, Diawara, Zuby / Reed
Deep Bench: Okorie (pushes Alvarado for mins), Kolek, Dadiet(if not traded for Okorie), Huk (or a vet)I think Diawara can be a positive bench piece based on what we saw this year. Tons of potential with his insane size / length. McCullar is another guy who deserves a chance to be in the rotation as a solid all around player.
This would be an A+ draft scenario for me and could totally see it hypothetically happening
Would you let OKC have Deuce and 31 for 17?
I would. If we can get Okorie and then Zuby at 24, that’s a great draft with talent that addresses our biggest needs. If Reed, or someone else the Knicks want, is available in R2 we can always trade up from 55
his foot speed is way way too low.
Knixkik wrote:In a perfect world we find a useful bench scorer/ playmaker in the Clarkson mold and a backup big. I like Meleek Thomas, but am not fully confident we find a guard with real scoring/ playmaking upside in that range. Thomas is the closest but it takes a lot of projecting with him. Now a big man we can find. I am confident we can add Ejiofor, Reed or Veesaar and have a longterm backup big that can contribute as early as next season. I think when drafting later in the first and early second round, it’s important to know the types of useful player profiles that will be available in that draft range. The Knicks championship run was nearly perfect, but that extra big who offers more than Hukporti would be awfully useful from time to time.
Knicks have worked out Thomas and Zuby so that is a real possibility. Since Rose has been here, Knicks have only drafted guys we have worked out with the exception of injuries (McCullar) and intl prospects
aggo wrote:not a fan of Allen graveshis foot speed is way way too low.
And he played against low level competition. He didn’t do nearly as well during the handful of time when playing better competition
PatCummings wrote:Knixkik wrote:In a perfect world we find a useful bench scorer/ playmaker in the Clarkson mold and a backup big. I like Meleek Thomas, but am not fully confident we find a guard with real scoring/ playmaking upside in that range. Thomas is the closest but it takes a lot of projecting with him. Now a big man we can find. I am confident we can add Ejiofor, Reed or Veesaar and have a longterm backup big that can contribute as early as next season. I think when drafting later in the first and early second round, it’s important to know the types of useful player profiles that will be available in that draft range. The Knicks championship run was nearly perfect, but that extra big who offers more than Hukporti would be awfully useful from time to time.Knicks have worked out Thomas and Zuby so that is a real possibility. Since Rose has been here, Knicks have only drafted guys we have worked out with the exception of injuries (McCullar) and intl prospects
Huh good to know
PatCummings wrote:aggo wrote:not a fan of Allen graveshis foot speed is way way too low.
And he played against low level competition. He didn’t do nearly as well during the handful of time when playing better competition
interesting.
I turned on the highlight tape and turned it off pretty quick. I don't see it, the guy just moves way too slow to have any long term potential in the nba