The NBA Finals are over but the New York Knicks are still making late runs in the second half.
The Knicks traded out of the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft in Brooklyn, which was headlined by the Washington Wizards’ opening selection of AJ Dybantsa from BYU. It was a night of relative penny-pinching for the Knicks, who face an uphill battle in keeping their championship-winning roster in tact while staying under the second salary apron.
New York entered the night with its regularly scheduled first-round pick at 24th overall. Officially, the Knicks chose Baylor guard Cameron Carr in that slot but multiple reports declared that they traded it in a pick swap with the Los Angeles Lakers, who had the choice immediately after. The 25th slot then saw the Lakers take Spanish prospect Sergio de Larrea, who was ostensibly making his way to the Knicks’ system.
However, Shams Charania of ESPN had a couple more moves to report after the Dallas Mavericks made Arizona forward Koa Peat the final pick of the opening round: the Knicks traded the rights to de Larrea to Dallas for Peat and two future second-round picks. Peat was immediately sent south to the Phoenix Suns, who gave the Knicks three more seconds—including the 47th overall selection in Wednesday’s second round—and further cash considerations.
The Knicks now own three second-round picks in the 2026 second round: they’re technically on the clock as owners of the 31st selection (a pick that was originally belonged to Washington before it was obtained from Oklahoma City on draft night in 2022) and their regularly scheduled choice at No. 55. Charania reported that the Knicks are already fielding offers for the 31st pick, which will open the market on Wednesday night (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).
It was still a celebratory for the Knicks fans that made the de facto road trip to Brooklyn, as the team’s recent NBA title was acknowledged several times. NBA commissioner Adam Silver made reference to the unexpected rise of Finals MVP Jalen Brunson, who began his pro journey as the 33rd overall pick in the 2018 draft, during his introductory statements.
While its championship starting five is accounted for, the Knicks will look to retain several free agent depth stars, including Jose Alvarado, Jordan Clarkson, Mitchell Robinson, and Landry Shamet.
Knicks owner James Dolan has publicly expressed a desire to remain clear of the second apron and Tuesday’s wheeling and dealing goes a decent way toward accomplishing that goal: trading the 24th, 25th, and 30th picks keeps a first-year salary of over $3 million off the 2026-27 books.
The top of the draft was headlined by Dybantsa, the multi-faceted BYU star that tipped off a run eight consecutive freshman called at the start. The Utah Jazz took Darryn Peterson out of Kansas with the second pick before Cameron Boozer (Memphis), Caleb Wilson (Chicago), and Keaton Wagler (LA Clippers) rounded out the top five.
