As the night closed on the second round of the NBA Draft, the New York Knicks, fresh off their NBA Championship, finally made (and retained) two draft picks. However, that’s a story for another time. The real story is that, during the NBA Draft, the Knicks acquired the draft rights to three international players, which means that the Knicks now hold the draft rights to 19 different international players.
Yes, you read that right. The Knicks hold the draft rights to 19 different international players. If you wanted to follow Basketball Reference’s lead and only count active players, the Knicks hold the rights to 13 international players. No other NBA team currently holds the rights to more than four.
So what are the Knicks doing? Is there a benefit to them holding the draft rights to this many players?
In short, no. Having the draft rights to international players does have a benefit, especially for a team like the Knicks, who are relatively cap-strapped, since they don’t want to go over the second apron. If you have the draft rights to an international player, you can technically have that player as part of your organization without having to pay them. So if you, like the Knicks, drafted a 20-year-old guard from Germany and didn’t want him to count against your salary cap, you could keep him in Germany for another year or two and allow him to grow and develop his game without having to count him towards your salary cap. Those players could then come stateside to be a part of your team or be used in a trade as a little sweetener. For the player who is retired, like some of the players the Knicks have the rights to, there’s no real reason beyond the team simply not wanting to renounce the rights.
For the Knicks, it’s grown into something else. One of the players they acquired the draft rights to this season is 39 years old and was drafted back in 2009. The Knicks also retain the rights to three players who are over 40 years old, including one who is 43 years old now and was drafted back in 2005.
So, who are these players the Knicks have the draft rights to, and will any of them ever play in the NBA?
New York Knicks International Draft Rights
James Nnaji
Nnaji is one of the few players fans may know on this list because he made headlines when he enrolled in college and played at Baylor despite having already been an NBA draft pick. He averaged just 1.4 points and 2.1 rebounds in 18 games for the Bears. Nnaji was taken by the Pistons with the first pick in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft. He was almost immediately traded to Boston and then Charlotte within two days. The Knicks acquired him in October 2024 as part of the Karl-Anthony Towns deal. He’s just 21 years old and still an active player who played for the Knicks in summer league last year.
Rokas Jokubaitis
There was a lot of hype around Jokubaitis from long-suffering Knicks fans. The Knicks originally drafted the Lithuanian point guard with the fourth pick in the second round back in the 2021 NBA Draft. He has played in the summer league for the Knicks twice, averaging 9.8 points and 3.8 assists in 2024-25. He’s just 25 years old, but he no longer seems like a realistic option to ever play for the Knicks.
Melvin Ajinca
Ajinca was originally drafted by the Knicks in the 2024 NBA Draft and immediately traded to Dallas. Two nights ago, the Mavericks traded the 21-year-old French forward back to the Knicks. He played 63 games for ASVEL Basket this past season, averaging 6.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.9 assists while shooting 36.6% from the field. Even though he’s young, he’s a long shot to ever play for the Knicks.
Hugo Besson
Besson is one of the youngest players on this list and is currently active. The 25-year-old French point guard was drafted by the Pacers in the 2022 NBA Draft and immediately traded to Milwaukee. The Bucks then traded his rights to the Knicks in February of last season, along with Delon Wright. Besson played in the summer league in 2024-25 and played 23 minutes a game in Turkey this season, averaging 11.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 46 games.
Tadija Dragicevic
Dragicevic is the first of the 40-year-olds that we’ll discuss (I’m 41, so this is an OK topic of conversation). The 6’9″ Serbian power forward was originally drafted by the Jazz in 2008 and has since had his rights traded four times. The last of which was a 2020 trade from Houston to New York. Dragicevic was 34 years old at the time the Knicks acquired his rights.
Bojan Dubljevic
Dubljevic is a Montenegrin power forward who was originally drafted by the Timberwolves in 2013. They traded him to Portland six years later, and then the Knicks acquired him from Portland in 2023 when he was 31 years old. Even then, he was not going to come play in the NBA, and that’s even less likely now at 34 years old, even though he is still playing in Spain and averaging 20 minutes a game with 7.4 points and 6.4 rebounds a game.
Axel Hervelle
Hervelle is 43 years old and was drafted by the Nuggets in the second round in 2005. He was traded to the Rockets in 2009 and then later acquired by the Knicks in 2020 when he was 37 years old.
Ognjen Jaramaz
Jaramaz is one of the few players originally drafted by the Knicks. The Knicks took the Serbian shooting guard with the 28th pick of the second round in the 2017 NBA Draft, and he played in NBA summer league for them that season. He played in the Adriatic League this season, averaging 6.5 points and 2.2 assists per game at 30 years old.
Petteri Koponen
Koponen is one of the only first-round picks on this list. He was drafted by the 76ers with the 30th overall pick in 2007 but was immediately traded to Portland. Portland traded him to Dallas in 2011 before the Knicks acquired him in June 2024, when he was 36 years old.
Sergio Llull
Llull is one of a few international players the Knicks acquired the rights to from the Rockets in 2020, along with Austin Rivers. The Spanish point guard was originally drafted by the Nuggets in 2009 and was immediately traded to Houston. Lull is still playing in Spain at 37 years old and is also an Olympic Silver Medalist.
Luka Mitrovic
A Serbian power forward, Mitrovic was drafted by the 76ers in the 2015 draft and was traded just a month later to the Kings. The Knicks acquired the 33-year-old last June in a trade with the Clippers that also sent Mohamed Diawara to the Knicks in exchange for Kobe Sanders. Mitrovic played summer league for Sacramento in 2016-17 and is currently playing in Moscow, where he averaged 5.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.7 assists this season.
Mojave King
King is a 24-year-old guard from New Zealand who was drafted by the Lakers in the second round in 2023 and has already been traded four times. The most recent of which was when the Rockets dealt him to the Knicks just two days ago. He played in the G League back in the 2023-24 season and averaged 11.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists while playing in Australia this season. He did shoot 41.1% from beyond the arc, but he still seems like a long shot to ever make it to the NBA.
Brad Newley
Newley is one of the 40-year-olds to whom the Knicks own the draft rights. The 41-year-old was originally drafted by Houston in 2007 and traded 10 years later to the Lakers. The Knicks then acquired his draft rights in 2022 when he was 36 years old.
Emir Preldzic
The Turkish forward owns the honor of being the most traded player on this list. He was originally drafted by the Suns in the 2009 NBA Draft and has been traded seven different times. The Knicks acquired him in 2021 from the Suns when he was 33 years old. At 38 years old now, it’s safe to say that Preldzic is not coming over to the NBA.
Nikola Radicevic
Radicevic was another Denver draft pick, originally selected in the 2015 draft and traded five years later to the Pistons. The Knicks acquired the 32-year-old back in 2022 in a deal that sent Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel to the Pistons. Radicevic is playing in Lithuania and averaged 8.3 points, 3.8 assists, and 2.0 rebounds in 21 minutes per game.
Juan Pablo Vaulet
Vaulet is relatively young for this list at 30 years old. The Argentine forward was drafted by the Hornets in 2015 and immediately traded to the Nets. He was traded back and forth between the Nets and Pacers a couple of times, and then traded from the Nets to the Knicks in July of 2024. He is still playing in Europe and averaged 10.3 points and 4.4 rebounds in 20 minutes per game this season
Latavious Williams
Williams is the lone American on the list. The 37-year-old was drafted in the middle of the second round of the 2010 NBA Draft by the Heat and immediately traded to the Thunder. The Thunder traded him to the Pelicans in 2015, but he was traded to the Knicks in the Jose Alvarado deal this year. Williams has played 11 international games in the last two seasons, including eight games this season in Venezuela.
Wang Zhelin
Zhelin is a Chinese center who was originally drafted by the Grizzlies in 2016. The Knicks acquired the 32-year-old from the Lakers in 2022 in exchange for the rights to Louis Labeyrie (more on that below). Zhelin is still playing in China and averaging 11.2 points and 6.6 rebounds a game.
Chinemelu Elonu
Elonu is 39 years old. The 6’10” 235-pound (maybe when he played) Nigerian center played at Texas A&M from 2006 to 2009 and was a 2nd round pick of the Lakers in the 2009 NBA Draft. The Knicks just acquired his draft rights last night.
Louis Labeyrie
Labeyrie is a fun one because the Pacers drafted him in 2014 and then immediately traded him to the Knicks. The French forward actually played in the Summer League for the Knicks, but never came over to join the team. They traded him to the Lakers in 2012, but clearly coveted his draft rights again, so the Knicks traded for the 34-year-old during this year’s draft. He played in France this season and averaged 5.9 points and 4.1 rebounds in 20 minutes per game.
For detailed stats on all of these draft picks, check out Real GM here.
Read the full article here
