#1 New York Knicks
The Knicks are finally winning games again and while they are coming off their best season in close to a decade, they have a lot of work to do this offseason. Over half of the players on their team during the 2020-21 season are free agents and with nearly $60M in cap space, the Knicks are going to be a very busy team in free agency and trade talks.
Before they get to that part of the offseason though, the Knicks will have to deal with the NBA Draft, as they own the rights to the 19th and 21st selections this year. With pretty much back-to-back picks, New York could easily create a trade package involving these two picks, but they also could take two experienced versatile players that could help them immediately.
New York has an immediate need at the guard position, which is why drafting James Bouknight if he falls to them makes a ton of sense. This would be the best fit for Bouknight in terms of letting loose and being an attacking guard on offense, but he may not be on the board for the Knicks at 19th or 21st overall.
Bouknight has been receiving interest from a couple of teams with picks in the lottery, so if the Knicks want him, they may have to package their two draft picks together to acquire him. Bringing in Bouknight though would be a smart move for the Knicks not only because he has played in Madison Square Garden before from playing at UConn in the Big East, but the Knicks need offense.
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In the postseason, almost all of the Knicks offensive production came from Derrick Rose, Alec Burks, Julius Randle and R.J. Barrett, which is why they need to try and diversify their offense. Bouknight has the capability to score on his own without the assistance of others, which is what the Knicks need in their backcourt.
Again, he likely will not be on the board for New York in the middle of the first-round, but if he somehow falls to them, this will be a no-brainer pick for the Knicks. James Bouknight’s best potential landing spot is in Madison Square Garden with the Knicks.
