NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates
You might or might not like what the New YorkKnicksdid in the 2026 NBA Draft. Hell, you might or might not like the draft entirely, because there were 30 second-round picks and only one of them wasn’t traded among all the cap maneuvering and asset stockpiling across the Association.
I guess it elicits different types of emotions…
Advertisement
First and foremost, you should get familiar with the two dudes that are actually (we expect) part of the Knicks roster for the upcoming season, which are Vanderbilt forward Tyler Nickel and German international guard Jack Kayil. Young bloods!
With that out of the way, the funniest part of the draft and the Knicks’ trades on both Tuesday and Wednesday is that you never know what might come with those sorts of ancillary, seemingly meaningless, filled-with-random-stuff deals.
And if you don’t believe me, ask Keith Smith. Shortly after the Knicks traded out of the first round, Smith pointed out that by adding the draft rights to French prospect Melvin Ajinca, the Knicks now have the rights for 20 (!!!) players.
Of course, we (probably just me) here at P&T take all things Knicks very seriously and couldn’t let the opportunity pass without tackling every one of the dudes whose rights belong to NYK, so you know the professional team from Stashtown, the Stash Squad, from younger to older, so the disrespect gets increasingly higher.
Advertisement
Get some popcorn and sit tight, this is definitely going to be a hella long ride down memory lane.
Ajinca is the new headliner of the Knicks’ collection because he is young enough (just damn 21 years old, three years younger than some prospects that just got drafted!) to make this whole exercise feel slightly more meaningful. The French wing was drafted 51st overall in 2024, originally by the Knicks, shipped to Dallas, then returned to New York through the 2026 draft-night trade chaos.
At 6-foot-8, Ajinca is the one name in the list you can talk yourself into with a straight face. He played this past season for ASVEL in France and the EuroLeague, getting real minutes against grown professionals. The shooting still needs work, but size,…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/knicks-hold-draft-rights-17-200000783.html
Author :
Publish date : 2026-06-25 20:00:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
