The New York Knicks won in more ways than one on Tuesday night.
Not only did the Knicks get a big win over the Chicago Bulls (which put them in third place in the Eastern Conference playoff spot), but they also have two first-round picks in the upcoming NBA Draft thanks to the Dallas Mavericks. officially owned. Playoff clinch.
This officially ends the 2019 trade record between Dallas and New York, which featured the Knicks shipping the face of the franchise, Kristaps Porzingis, to the Lone Star State. Part of the Knicks' takeaway was a 2023 first-round pick with regularly scheduled top-10 protection. If the Mavericks have a top-10 pick, that pick could go in either 2024 or 2025, and if they pick late, it would be a second-round pick.
This decision allows the Mavericks to officially skip the NBA Draft lottery, which will take them out of the top 10 at the end of this summer. At this time last season, this nomination was a point of contention.
December 28, 2017; San Antonio, Texas, USA.New York Knicks power forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) takes a shot.
Im Soo-bun-USA TODAY Sports
The Mavericks, upset and perhaps reeling from losing Jalen Brunson to Manhattan, decided to avoid giving the Knicks a pick that would likely fall outside the top 10 in the Western Conference Play-In Tournament. , I threw away the shot. Dallas missed the play-in and ended up trading the 10th pick for the 12th pick Derek Lively…the Mavericks paid $750,000 for resting healthy players in the final game to guarantee elimination. was fined.
Neither team saw a major change in fortunes with Porzingis' departure. The Latvian big man played over two seasons in Dallas before being sent to Washington and is now with the Boston Celtics.
To this day, only one player involved (Tim Hardaway Jr., who went from New York to Dallas) remains with both teams, and the Knicks' credit (DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews, Dennis Smith Junior) didn't last long at New Mexico State. yoke. The Knicks also had a first-round pick in 2021, which they used on Keon Johnson and traded on draft night to acquire the departed Quentin Grimes.
Acquiring Dallas' pick would only further expand the Knicks' draft space, which many assume will be used in a high-profile trade for another established superstar. Additional 2024 first-round picks from Detroit and Washington, which require a lottery pick, will not be transferred, but the Knicks have four first-round picks to work with over the next two years. The Knicks have been observers during the recent draft, with only three players on the active roster originally selected by the team (Myles McBride, Mitchell Robinson, and Jericho Sims).
