The New York Knicks aren’t done making trades.
Shortly before the start of the second round of the 2026 NBA Draft, the reigning NBA champions dealt the No. 31 and 55 picks to the Houston Rockets in exchange for the No. 39 and 53 picks, as well as the Sacramento Kings’ second-round pick in 2029, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The deal comes a day after the Knicks entered the first round with the No. 24 overall pick and left it with five second-round picks and an indeterminate amount of cash.
A series of deals worked out to four team trade in which the Knicks moved back in the draft three times, with the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns all moving up in their place.
The sum total of the moves:
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Lakers get: No. 24 pick (Cameron Carr)
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Mavericks get: No. 25 pick (Sergio De Larrea)
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Suns get: No. 30 pick (Koa Peat)
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Knicks get: No. 47 pick, draft rights to former second-rounder Melvin Ajinça, four future second-round picks, cash considerations
Those moves are likely money-fueled, as Knicks owner James Dolan has made clear the he will not be moving above the second apron to keep the championship team fully intact. Trading out of the first round allowed the Knicks to avoid a multi-million salary for a rookie with free agency looming.
Clearly, the Knicks weren’t done making deals. They’re now up to a net gain of six second-round picks, and we’ll see what happens when we near one they still control.
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