The New York Knicks Dream Scenario

New York Knicks fans should be praying fervently for this scenario. 

The NBA Draft lottery is taking place on Tuesday, May 14th, and NBA fans and analysts couldn’t be more excited to see how it plays out. It is easy to assume that whomever lands the 1st overall pick will control the destiny of former Duke superstar Zion Williamson, who could be the next great superstar in the NBA. That being said, this provides a lot of intrigue to the draft lottery. The New York Knicks currently are tied with two other teams, the Phoenix Suns and the Cleveland Cavaliers, for the best odds of landing the 1st overall pick.

Knicks fans have been waiting a very long time to see their team step up and make the playoffs. Hell, its been a while since the team has even competed for the playoffs.

The New York Knicks will most certainly land a top 5 pick, that is for granted. They are the only team who will for sure land a top 5 pick in the lottery.

That being said, I firmly believe that the best solution for the Knicks is to make a serious play for the first overall pick. Here is the dream scenario for Knicks fans to crave and pray for to begin Tuesday night.

Scenario Alpha

The New York Knicks land the 1st overall spot in the NBA Lottery.

The Knicks could very much end up taking control of the Draft by landing the first overall pick on Tuesday. Here’s what they should do: forget any trade offers for that first overall selection, no matter how good that they might be, and take Zion Williamson with that first overall selection.

A lot of people do not truly realize how special Williamson is. He moves faster and quicker than his 6’6″ 270 pound frame should allow. He is a beast around the basket. Zion can shoot fron beyond the arc. He can play the mid range game and he can play outstanding defense.

Zion Williamson is the once-in-a-decade-talent that we don’t find. He is the next LeBron James type talent. He can singlehandedly make a team a playoff contender. I’m telling you, his tape is extraordinary.

In free agency, add Kyrie Irving.

Yup. I think its a huge possibility. The New York Knicks could very much add Kyrie Irving in 2019.

I can hear some people agreeing with me. I can also hear some people scoffing. The Knicks landing Kyrie? Are you nuts, John Vogel? Hey, its a real possibility. Lets talk about how they can make that happen.

First point. The Knicks salary cap is wide open for 2019-20. As of now, Enes Kanter, DeAndre Jordan and Wesley Matthews can all walk. That’s the bulk of the Knicks current salary cap. The Knicks restructured Joakim Noah’s contract last season and will pay him the remainder of his $18M over the next three years, freeing more cap. As of now, they’re total payroll for next season is just over $34M, according to HoopsHype.com.

The prospect of having Zion and Kyrie

Adding Zion Williamson to an already very young, talented core makes joining this team extremely tempting for a superstar like Kyrie. He might get his chance to earn his ring!

People might say the Kyrie won’t want to play with Zion because it would be like playing with LeBron again. *Sigh.* Not necessarily. By the time Kyrie was playing with LeBron, the best player in the game right now already had that reputation. Kyrie was a young rookie, with superstar potential written all over him.

If Kyrie goes to New York now, it’s the other way around. Zion is the rising superstar, Kyrie is the focal point. That very well may be appealing to Kyrie’s personality.

Dont forget about head coach David Fizdale. He is a very fine coach, well respected throughout the NBA. Watch out for Fizdale to start sparking some interest across the NBA’s free agents.

Scenario Bravo

The New York Knicks land a pick between 2nd and 5th overall.

The Knicks could very well land a pick outside of the 1st overall selection. Their odds of getting the top pick is just 14%, and several other teams have a chance to land that pick as well.

Lets say that the Knicks do not land the first overall pick on Tuesday. What do they do now?

The Knicks need to make a serious move for the first overall selection and mortgage the future. They need to pick someone that they would be willing to move, someone young and talented with tremendous upside (ahem, Kevin Knox). Then, they need to send three first round picks, the first one top 5 protected.

Yes, the Knicks need to go all in on Zion Williamson. Are you seeing the key to the picture yet?

Outside of Kyrie, who could the Knicks land?

Even by giving Kyrie a max contract, the Knicks still have a lot of money that they can move for another superstar. Potentially, New Orleans Pelicans superstar Anthony Davis could be hitting the free agent market. He owns a players option this season, and he has already made it pretty clear to the Pelicans that he has no intention of returning this season.

If Kyrie and Zion both ended up in New York, it could be a very attractive pairing for the ex-Pelicans superstar. Davis will be heavily wooed by the rest of the NBA, incuding the Los Angeles Lakers. We will see what can potentially happen with his situation on the upcoming month.

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green could be another potentially luring target for the Knicks. Several teams across the NBA are willing to give him a max contract, something that Golden State has no cap space to do. I firmly believe the Knicks are one of those teams.

The key to everything is landing Zion Williamson.

If the New York Knicks go all in and get Zion, it opens the door for top NBA free agents to come to New York this upcoming season. The key to attracting talent to the Big Apple is Zion Williamson.

I firmly believe that the NBA is spellbound by Zion, and NBA players want to play with him. Knicks fans, start praying. This is the scenario you need.