Trade rumors are beginning to heat up with the 2022 NBA Draft only a few days away. There are a number of teams looking to move up the draft board, but to make a deal, you will have to find a team that is willing to move down. This year, it is debatable if more teams are looking to move down or up the board.
Two teams that are looking to move up the board with an eye on a specific prospect are the Washington Wizards and New York Knicks. Both teams are desperate for a point guard and will likely be competing head to head for the same players throughout the offseason.
In the draft, both organizations reportedly have their sights set on explosive Purdue guard Jaden Ivey. Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report shared the update and it shouldn’t come as too big of a surprise.
There likely aren’t two teams in the NBA that need a point guard more than the Wizards or Knicks. Washington doesn’t currently have a point guard on the roster with a guaranteed contract for the upcoming season. New York has been looking to fill the void it feels like since Walt “Clyde” Frazier was manning the position.
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Ivey would be an excellent addition to the roster for either team. While he is lacking in point guard experience, as he wasn’t always playing on the ball for the Boilermakers, his long-term outlook is as a lead guard.
His game has some similarities to Ja Morant, which will excite both franchises and their fan bases as Morant has helped rejuvenate the Memphis Grizzlies rapidly. Even the assets that each team has to build a trade package with are similar in some regards.
The Washington Wizards own the No. 10 overall pick and have some veterans, such as Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, that the Sacramento Kings, who own the No. 4 pick that is being targeted, could use to help snap their 16-year playoff drought. Younger players Rui Hachimura and Deni Avdija would be made available as well.
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The New York Knicks have the No. 11 overall pick and an extra first-round pick in 2023 via the Dallas Mavericks they can use to sweeten a deal. Nerlens Noel, Alec Burks, Kemba Walker, Julius Randle and Evan Fournier are veterans that could be used in the trade package. New York has a slew of young players headlined by Obi Toppin and Immanuel Quickley that the Kings could ask about.
Negotiations will be tough as New York and Washington know that they will be bidding against themselves and likely other teams targeting another player in the draft. It will not be cheap jumping up the board that high, but they will certainly try their hardest to get a deal done.
