Jaden’s Ivey’s potential could spur Knicks to trade up in NBA Draft

It was barely lunchtime Monday when already the Knicks had been mentioned in a story circulating that they could be a possible landing spot for Kyrie Irving if he and the Nets, stuck in a contract extension stalemate, could not come to an agreement, and then Jaden Ivey, projected as a top-five pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft, spoke of situations where he could wind up in New York.

While this may seem like any other day in the NBA offseason, which is often more thrilling than the regular season, it also hinted at the uncertainty of exactly what the state of the Knicks is heading into Thursday night’s draft.

The Knicks stumbled last season after earning a playoff berth two seasons ago and saw Julius Randle, along with a number of second-tier players, fall off from their performance in the 2020-21 season. Mitchell Robinson is a free agent. About the only certainty is that RJ Barrett feels like the centerpiece of the team moving forward. So despite being over the salary cap the Knicks are involved in rumors about acquiring the likes of Jalen Brunson and Donovan Mitchell. And despite having the No. 11 pick there is a belief that they could move up from that spot on draft day and that no player is really outside of their grasp.

First, just a reminder that the Irving rumors to the Knicks are a long shot — from his own claims that he plans on remaining in Brooklyn long-term to the reality that the Knicks would need to either clear about $40 million from their salary cap or convince the Nets that their questionable contracts are fair value back for Irving. Add in his constant off-court drama and it’s hard to imagine the Knicks taking on that headache.

But Ivey, who starred at Purdue and whose mother, Niele, was an All-American at Notre Dame before playing in the WNBA and becoming head coach of the Notre Dame women’s team, is a possibility because the Knicks have spent the last two seasons with the Leon Rose-led front office shuffling up and down the board on draft day. While Ivey has been projected to land at No. 4, the team that holds that spot, Sacramento, has made it clear they are open to dealing the pick. To that end, Ivey said on Monday he has had no contact with the Kings and did not work out for them, and when asked about his thoughts on teams he could land with, he immediately mentioned the Knicks.

“I’ve just seen where the lottery [teams are], just the teams that got the earliest picks,” Ivey said. “I started looking at film of Sacramento. Obviously, you know, there could be situations where I could land to New York.”

That would take some maneuvering by Rose to find a deal that would be amenable to Sacramento.  A number of teams are interested in trading up for either Ivey, regarded as the best point guard in the draft, or Iowa’s Keegan Murray. The Knicks did not bring Ivey in for a workout — he said the only teams he worked out for were Orlando and Detroit — but did attend his pro-day workout in Los Angeles. And the team has a glaring need for a point guard and nearly as large a need for a star talent, which some project Ivey could become.

“I think I could definitely fit,” Ivey said of the chance of playing for the Knicks. “I have that DNA to be a winner. You obviously got to have guys that want to win in order to win. [They have that in] RJ Barrett and I feel like they want to win. It starts just in practice and I feel like I just have that DNA to win. So we’re just gonna see what happens.”

 Notes & quotes: Duke forward AJ Griffin confirmed that he worked out for the Knicks. Raised in New York and the son of Adrian Griffin, who served previously as an assistant coach on Tom Thibodeau’s staff in Minnesota, he has clear connections with the team . . . Duke center Mark Williams said he had an individual workout with the Knicks.