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As the night closed on the second round of the NBA Draft, the New York Knicks, fresh off their NBA Championship, finally made (and retained) two draft picks. However, that’s a story for another time. The real story is that, during the NBA Draft, the Knicks acquired the draft rights to three international players, which means that the Knicks now hold the draft rights to 19 different international players.
Yes, you read that right. The Knicks hold the draft rights to 19 different international players. If you wanted to follow Basketball Reference’s lead and only count active players, the Knicks hold the rights to 13 international players. No other NBA team currently holds the rights to more than four.
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So what are the Knicks doing? Is there a benefit to them holding the draft rights to this many players?
In short, no. Having the draft rights to international players does have a benefit, especially for a team like the Knicks, who are relatively cap-strapped, since they don’t want to go over the second apron. If you have the draft rights to an international player, you can technically have that player as part of your organization without having to pay them. So if you, like the Knicks, drafted a 20-year-old guard from Germany and didn’t want him to count against your salary cap, you could keep him in Germany for another year or two and allow him to grow and develop his game without having to count him towards your salary cap. Those players could then come stateside to be a part of your team or be used in a trade as a little sweetener. For the player who is retired, like some of the players the Knicks have the rights to, there’s no real reason beyond the team simply not wanting to renounce the rights.
For the Knicks, it’s grown into something else. One of the players they acquired the draft rights to this season is 39 years old and was drafted back in 2009. The Knicks also retain the rights to three players who are over 40 years old, including one who is 43 years old now and was drafted back in 2005.
So, who are these players the Knicks have the draft rights to, and will any of them ever play in the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/international-men-mystery-inside-knicks-190346821.html
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Publish date : 2026-06-25 19:03:00
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