Before we fully dive in, let’s summarize what the Knicks traded and got back in return. Frankly, it took quite a while to fully understand it all.
The first round of the draft was Armageddon for the Knicks to say the least. New York reportedly had multiple chances to trade for Jaden Ivey who was picked at five or could’ve stayed put and taken Ochai Agbaji from Kansas or Malaki Branham from Ohio State at pick 11.
Would either of those picks have been underwhelming compared to Ivey? Yes, but what the Knicks did instead made sticking at 11 look like taking Patrick Ewing all over again.