The New York Knicks are serious about trying to acquire another first-round pick.
According to the Sporting News’ Sean Deveney, and as confirmed by ESPN.com’s Ian Begley, they’ve talked to the Portland Trail Blazers about landing one of their three first-round picks:
Portland owns the No. 15, 20 and 26 picks in this draft, and several teams are eager to get into that mix. The Knicks have inquired about some combination of the Blazers’ picks, a source said, and those talks are ongoing. New York has the eighth pick and could trade down for a combination of picks, though the preference for the Knicks is to keep their pick and add one of Portland’s.
Here’s a bit more from Begley:
Talks between New York and Portland are believed to be in the early stages, but at least one scenario discussed involved an additional player from Portland being sent in a trade, according to sources. Portland’s Moe Harkless is one player who was discussed in a possible trade scenario, sources told ESPN.
If the Knicks are getting a low-end first-rounder in exchange for absorbing Moe Harkless’ deal, they should absolutely pull the trigger. In fact, they should probably take it one step further, and see if they can clear enough cap space to take on Allen Crabbe’s deal. He fits Phil Jackson’s bill of trying to acquire players who are more like Courtney Lee.
Crabbe is just one year into a four-season, $75 million deal, but the Knicks aren’t reeling in big-name free agents anytime soon. Nor are they even close to competing for a title. They could use the draft picks more than cap flexibility, and helping the Blazers get out from under Crabbe’s contract might be worth the No. 15 pick—a borderline lottery selection.
If the Blazers view Crabbe as an actual asset, it’s a different story. Then the Knicks are doing the right thing by targeting Harkless. As long as they avoid taking on Evan Turner’s pact, and so long as they don’t fork over value of their own return, there’s nothing to lose by becoming a salary-dumping ground for Portland.
