Knicks could trade their picks if they want to run back their championship squad

There was a time when fans of the Knicks would clasp their hands in prayer, hoping that the NBA Draft would change the fortunes of the franchise, grasping at belief in the likes of Kevin Knox or Frank Ntilikina, with a promise of better days to come through the lottery picks.

As the NBA Draft arrives Tuesday night at Barclays Center, to paraphrase Mikal Bridges in a much more polite form for print version, forget those picks.

The Knicks’ trading away of five first-round picks for Bridges no longer causes angst among the fan base with a parade the reward for piecing together a veteran group. And while this is one of the seasons that the Knicks possess their own first-round pick, the most likely scenario might be for them to trade it. Cap space is more the fingers-crossing dream that fans pin their hopes upon.

Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan, a day before the championship squad was celebrated with a parade, said that the team will not go into the second apron of the salary cap, although he seemed to exaggerate the consequences when he noted that he’d like to bring back the whole team.

“But I don’t know if we’re going to be able to," Dolan said. "We’re willing to stretch, but there’s certain things in the NBA that you’d have to be suicidal to do, and we’re not going to do those. One of them is the second apron. Cannot go into the second apron. … I’ll write as big of a check as possible, but I can’t write a check that goes into the second apron.”

So even though the Knicks approached the draft with the No. 24 pick in the first round and the No. 31 and 55 picks in the second round, a trade might be the easiest first step to try to hold onto the veterans who could help run it back, particularly unrestricted free agents Mitchell Robinson and Landry Shamet. It’s hard to imagine that the Knicks would not go into the second apron for one season to try to keep the champions together..

While Leon Rose and his front office, particularly Brock Aller, who is as adept as anyone in the NBA at figuring moves to skirt along the edges of the salary cap, attempt to figure out a way to hold onto the Knicks key pieces, it’s a challenge mixed with a chance to add a few low-cost pieces to the roster. Jose Alvarado had a deadline to exercise his $4.5 million player option by Monday, but already the work has begun on figuring the math out as a league source confirmed that he agreed to push the deadline to June 26.

The Knicks are also nearing an agreement with rookie Mo Diawara on a new multiyear deal to keep him with the team, according to an ESPN report. He could sign a four-year deal for approximately $11 million — starting with a $2.6 million charge against the cap next season.

Since Rose brought Walt Perrin in to oversee the college scouting process the Knicks have excelled at finding useful players late in the first round and through the second round — landing Quentin Grimes at No. 25 in 2021 and Miles McBride at No. 34 and Jericho Sims at 58 in the same draft. Tyler Kolek was picked at No. 34 two years ago with Ariel Hukporti the last pick in that draft. Diawara was selected No. 51 overall last year.

The most valuable pick the Knicks possess is the first pick of the second round, which does not come with the salary slot constraints of the first round — a pick that holds value to the Knicks but also as a trade piece. If the Knicks keep the picks — a sign that they could be losing Robinson or Shamet — a priority could be to add a backup center. At No. 24 that could be North Carolina’s Henri Veesaar, Connecticut’s Tarris Reed or Houston’s Chris Cenac.

“I didn’t [work out in New York] but I did interview with them,” Cenac said. “Great style of play. I mean, they won the Finals, so it works . . . At the end of the day, I'm going to rebound on whatever team I go to. That's in my game, and that's in my DNA, so that's what I'm going to do.”

With the second-round picks the Knicks could look locally at St. John’s products. Zuby Ejiofor, undersized for a power forward or center, but with the muscle and motor to make up for that. Dillon Mitchell has the athleticism to make the jump, but his lack of a three-point shot (and free-throw shooting struggles) will drop him out of the first-round talk.

If the Knicks seek a shooter to replace Shamet, Duke’s Isaiah Evans could be on their radar. He worked out after the Knicks finished off the championship run.

“Obviously, I told them I feel like my shooting ability can really help them space the floor,” he said, “ [I’m] not saying they have any issues doing that now, they’ve got a couple of superstars over there, but I can always help out.”

Newsday's Roger Rubin contributed to this story.

By Steve Popper

steve.popper@newsday.com@StevePopper

Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.