On the most recent episode of ClutchPoints' Nothing But Nets podcast, we got a very intriguing question from a listener. Martin from the Bensonhurst neighborhood of Brooklyn wanted to know this: “How relieved are Brooklyn Nets fans that the New York Knicks are blowing their draft position, conceding relevance to the Nets for the foreseeable future?”

Great question! It sounds like you're essentially asking if Nets fans are relieved the Knicks are not tanking harder in an attempt to get a better pick in the 2022 NBA Draft?

Before we answer, let's examine where the Knicks stand now.

The question came in on Thursday of last week. Now, after Sunday's recent win over to the Orlando Magic, they're 10-6 over their last 16. At 35-44 they have the 12th-worst record. Tankathon.com says they have a 7.2 percent shot at one of the top-four picks in the 2022 NBA Draft. More likely, if their odds don't improve, they'll settle in with the 12th pick.

The short answer, in my humble opinion, is Nets fans are not relieved the Knicks aren't tanking harder. And I'm going to answer this literally, first. Then spiritually second.

The key reason Nets fans are not “relieved” New York isn't tanking is because they aren't worried about the Knicks in the slightest these days. And any feeling of relief necessitates some concern, right? Nets fans have a ton of problems, but to paraphrase Jay-Z,  the Knicks simply aren't one right now. If the Nets' season were a play, it would feel a little bit like a tragedy given preseason expectations, and the Knicks' role would simply be a bit of comic relief.

Ask Kevin Durant:

 

But the spirit of Martin's question is still an important subject.

Because over the long haul, you can bet that Nets GM Sean Marks will be paying close attention on lottery drawing night, May 17, to see where the top-four picks fall. He'll certainly be rooting against the division “rival,” the same way he might have been rooting against Toronto moving up to No. 4 last season to get a stud in Scottie Barnes.

Here's what Nothing But Nets co-host Greg Dennis, who has been spewing fire takes all season long, had to say on the recent pod. Listen to the pod and you'll pick up on a hint of sarcasm here as he casually trolls the Knicks:

Dennis: “This is what you expect from the Knicks, they love drafting between 7 and 10, that's clearly what they're angling for again. They've got a stranglehold on that 11th seed … [they are] looking good for another draft pick in the 7-10 range, which has netted them guys like Frank Ntilikina, Kevin Knox, Obi Toppin, and so we'll see how it plays out this year.”

Early: “The Knicks are looking to bolster their ‘Big 15' and Kevin Durant very much enjoys taking shots at the borough rivalry.”

Dennis: “Yeah, he seems to really have it in for them since he got to Brooklyn.”

Dennis went on to note how painful it must be for Knicks fans to have seen their team miss on Steph Curry by one pick in 2009 and then miss on Ja Morant by one pick exactly 10 years later. Burn.

If the Knicks somehow move up in the lottery, something they have not done since 1985 when they selected Patrick Ewing, they might find a true difference-making talent. Or they could try to trade their top pick in a larger bundle for a disgruntled star, the way the Los Angeles Lakers did back in 2019. Maybe even this guy:

Back in January, FOX Sports' Ric Bucher said the Jazz are just a first-round knockout away from losing Donovan Mitchell to the New York Knicks. If the Knicks finish their season poorly enough to land a top-four pick, they might keep hope alive there for themselves. In that scenario, Martin's question becomes the key. The Nets might wind up feeling some relief that their division rival didn't bother to vie for more ping pong balls and turbocharge their “all-in” trade offer for summer blockbusters. Nets fans might prefer the Knicks continue to prioritize “trying hard” or “developing the young core” by winning more games. So far, so good.

Many Knicks fans against tanking have even pointed to what Sean Marks did in Brooklyn, restoring the culture and narrative enough to entice stars like Durant and Kyrie Irving to want to join by making the first round of the playoffs.

The Knicks could finish as badly as the 22nd-best team and earn around a 26 percent to move up, or they could stay about where they are and finish with about 8 percent odds of a possibly franchise-altering pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.

If they somehow landed a star like Donovan Mitchell, who is from New York and once was represented by Leon Rose, a former CAA agent and now president of the Knicks, it would feel like only a matter of time until another star might want to join the electric young talent.

So, Nets fans for now will focus on their own title run, but they'll keep an eye on the NB Draft Lottery drawing on May 17. The long and short of it is that it's great for the Nets that the Knicks aren't tanking. If the team over in Manhattan landed the first pick, they'd have a terrific trade package to chase a star with, which could make the East even tougher in time.

However, most Nets fans probably won't even bother to notice until the blue and orange can find a way to become more relevant first. Great question, Martin in Bensonhurst.