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If a team near the top of the draft isn't blown away by any of the prospects that remain, sometimes the best move to make is one that sees said team move down in the draft order while also recouping an additional asset.
The New York Knicks may just subscribe to that theory.
Knicks keep pursuing deals to move out of No. 4 spot and back in lottery, league sources tell Yahoo.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) June 25, 2015
#Knicks have a main target at 4, but are not against dropping out if they can upgrade roster via trade and still get another pick they like.
— Alan Hahn (@alanhahn) June 25, 2015
That target has been rumored to be Ohio State point guard D'Angelo Russell, but with Russell now projected to go to the Los Angeles Lakers at No. 2, the Knicks may have caught wind that their preferred pick will be off the board.
Having said that, it's unlikely any such deal to move backwards in the draft would be struck before the Knicks are on the clock, as New York can't afford to trade out of the top four before knowing for certain that their prime target(s) are off the board.
If the Knicks do trade down, big men Frank Kaminsky, Trey Lyles, and Willie Cauley-Stein, who have reportedly impressed Phil Jackson and Co., could be the team's new targets.