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The New York Knicks only have one pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. 49 prospects will be selected before they're on the clock. Leon Rose, however, has made draft-night deals in four of his first five drafts as Knicks team president.
Reports are already surfacing that they'll be active in this year's market, too. They're a good ‘bet‘ to trade up in the second round, according to Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman.
The team drafted four rookies last season in Pacome Dadiet, Tyler Kolek, Kevin McCullar Jr., and Ariel Hukporti. When then-head coach Tom Thibodeau expanded the rotation in the NBA Playoffs, it was in favor of veterans. But now, many of those old hands are set to become free agents, and their departures are far from guaranteed, but their returns are of the same status.
If Rose does swing another trade, what prospects might the Knicks have interest in to move up for? What prospects would they target if they stay and draft where they are?
Sources familiar with the situation tell ClutchPoints the Knicks have interest in several forwards in the “second-round range” of this year's draft. The Arkansas Razorbacks' Adou Thiero and Belmont Bruins' Jonathan Pierre are both said to intrigue New York, particularly in Thursday night's second round.
Knicks interested in experienced forwards in NBA Draft
Thiero, a 6-foot-8 junior, played two seasons at Kentucky before transferring alongside head coach John Calipari to Arkansas. In his junior season as a Razorback, he averaged 15.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game. He led his team in scoring, shooting 54.5% from the field overall.
Thiero didn't demonstrate much shooting prowess in his collegiate career, though, shooting 28.4% overall on 3-pointers. On the defensive side of the court, however, he could be a potential monster.
Alongside Knick stalwarts like OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Mitchell Robinson, Thiero's explosive athleticism and instincts on defense could fit the Knicks' core well. He had a late growth spurt, growing from 5-foot-7 in his freshman year of high school to his 6-foot-8, 220-pound frame.
The team also has a clean path to great intelligence on Thiero. Calipari's relationship with Knicks Vice President William Wesley goes back decades. At least one key member of the Knicks' front office spoke to Calipari about the team's coaching vacancy – to no avail.
After serving as Thiero's head coach for the past three seasons, Calipari has been unafraid to praise him publicly. The Knicks targeted and acquired several players with Kentucky ties early on in Rose and Wesley's tenure, such as when they drafted Calipari-favorite Immanuel Quickley. The longtime coach will likely answer whatever questions the organization has about the 21-year-old forward.
Another target league sources said has interested the Knicks to some extent is Pierre, a 6-foot-9, 210-pound senior from Belmont. The Bruins have one active NBA alumnus in Ben Sheppard of the Indiana Pacers.
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Pierre transferred from the Division II level to Memphis after a late growth spurt of his own. He was a 5-foot-10 guard in his freshman year of high school. He started his senior year at 6-foot-2, a fine stature for an NBA guard, before growing five inches midseason, per Jamaill Hines.
Pierre grew two more inches in college and ended up at Belmont. There, he averaged 13.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists as a senior. Most notably, he took 6.0 3-pointers per game, made 37% of them, and has the makings of a do-it-all forward because of his ball-handling past.
Leon Rose could continue Knicks' history of draft-night deals
The Knicks' front office is infamous for its unconventional trades. Rose, Wesley, and the team's front office began their tenure by trading nothing for Ed Davis and two second-round picks. They followed that deal up by trading Davis himself for two more second-round draft picks.
In that same offseason, their first at the helm, they made several trades leading up to and during the 2020 draft. They started with the eighth, the 27th, and the 38th picks. After trading the last two for the 23rd pick, they traded that for the 25th and 33rd picks. They selected Quickley with the 25th pick and traded the 33rd pick for two more second-round selections.
In 2021, New York came into the draft with the 19th, 21st, 32nd, and 58th picks. They ended up drafting Quentin Grimes 25th overall, Rokas Jokubaitis 34th overall, Deuce McBride 36th overall, and Jericho Sims 58th overall. They also acquired several future picks, one of which they traded for Josh Hart.
Rose's handling of the 2022 draft infuriated fans excited for young talent after a frustrating season. The team had the 11th overall pick but traded it for three future first-round picks. They also traded Kemba Walker, Nerlens Noel, Alec Burks, the rights to Jalen Duren, and a plethora of second-round picks to the Detroit Pistons. They received cap space. When that space was used to sign Isaiah Hartenstein and Jalen Brunson, fans quickly understood the plan.
The Knicks made no draft-night deals in 2023 because they had traded the first-round pick they knew they'd have for Hart. And they lost the first-round pick they thought they'd have because the Dallas Mavericks tanked their way into drafting key center Dereck Lively II.
New York may very well be active on the trade market again in 2025. Adam Silver's idea to split the draft up into two nights for an NFL-esque television production doubles the chances they make a draft-night deal. Time will tell whether or not they end up selecting a prospect at all.
