The New York Knicks reportedly wants to take a pick in this year's draft but they may have to make a trade.
The report was from Ian Begley of ESPN who mentioned the players that the Knicks are targeting.
"The Knicks plan to acquire a pick in June's draft. The best-case scenario would probably be a late first-round pick but second-round is more likely. The club has shown interest in several players in recent weeks, including Indiana guard Yogi Ferrell, who has a workout scheduled with the club next month. New York also interviewed Kansas guard Wayne Selden at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago and has expressed interest in him as the draft approaches, according to league sources. Selden, a 6-6 guard, would fit the mold of the big guards Phil Jackson used in his Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Laker teams."
The Knicks don't have much in terms of trade assets, as NBC Sports noted. They do not have too many players under contract and they may have to sell low on Jose Calderon. However, Kurt Helin of NBC warned to "expect Jackson to come up with something. But it's not going to be a game changer; he's going to have to win in free agency to get that."
Jackson has to get creative to break into this draft. Calderon has been on the trade block since forever and there doesn't seem to be much interest for him.
The Zen Master may have to dangle Robin Lopez to get some picks. While that means they have to part with their starting center. The Knicks can develop star rookie Kristaps Porzingis as a "stretch five" and use other frontcourt back-ups as power forwards (Kyle O'Quinn, Kevin Seraphim) alongside Porzingis.
In short, the center position is not much of a position of need for the Knicks because of Porzingis which makes Lopez expendable. There are teams with a legitimate need for centers and not too many rim protectors are available. Hassan Whiteside and Dwight Howard are the biggest names to watch from a defensice standpoint.
Lopez is probably a tier below those two but a team like the Boston Celtics who has a no.23 pick could find him useful.