Draft

The Knicks’ Future Draft Picks: An In-Depth Look into the Knicks 2024 Draft Picks

We are in one of the most active trade periods for the New York Knicks in recent memory. The Knicks have been involved in countless rumors, involving numerous players around the league. Not to mention trade rumors involving the Knicks future draft picks.

New York has one of the largest draft capital reserves in the NBA and are ready to unload it to make a game changing next move. These two things together has presented them as an option in almost every trade rumor in the NBA this offseason and heading towards the trade deadline.

With so much talk, we created this summary of the New York Knicks future draft picks to better understand what picks the Knicks have in 2024 and beyond, in addition to which picks are tradable.

Knicks Future draft picks from 2024 to 2030

As of January 2024, the New York Knicks possess a total of three first-round 2024 draft picks. These include their own pick, which is not protected, and additional picks acquired from the Dallas Mavericks (Top-10 protected) and the Detroit Pistons (Top-18 protected, if not settled from the previous year).

The Knicks currently hold all of their first round NBA draft picks through to 2030, with no protections obligated to other teams.

Below is a summary of the Knicks future first round draft picks:

Knicks first round draft picks

2023 draft picks

Own Top-14 protected (Traded to Portland in deal for Josh Hart)
DET Top-18 protected (via HOU to OKC) – Pick was deferred to 2024
WAS Top-14 protected (via HOU to OKC) – Pick was deferred to 2024

2024 draft picks

Own
DAL Top-10 protected
DET Top-18 protected (if pick is not already settled from prev year) (via HOU to OKC)

WAS Top-12 protected (if pick is not already settled from prev year) (via HOU to OKC)

2025 draft picks

Own
DAL Top-10 protected (if pick is not already settled from prev year)

DET Top-13 protected (if pick is not already settled from prev year) (via HOU to OKC)
WAS Top-10 protected (if pick is not already settled from prev year) (via HOU to OKC)
MIL 5-30 Top-4 protected (via NOP to POR to DET)

2026 draft picks

Own
DET Top-11 protected (if pick is not already settled from prev year) (via HOU to OKC)
WAS Top-8 protected (if pick is not already settled from prev year) (via HOU to OKC)

2027 draft picks

Own
DET Top-9 protected (if pick is not already settled from prev year) (via HOU to OKC)

2028 draft picks

2029 draft picks

2030 draft picks

Source Real GM

Total future first round draft picks for New York

How many first round draft picks do the Knicks have? The New York Knicks currently have a total of 11 first-round draft picks from the year 2024 to 2030. As of January 2024, seven of these picks are their own, and they have the flexibility to trade eight of them. The picks are distributed across various years, with each pick having different protection conditions.

Leon Rose and the Knicks front office have done a good job of avoiding their mistakes of the past and trading their own picks.

New York’s draft capital is extremely valuable to rest of the league, given much of the inventory is unprotected. First round picks without protections have a higher upside, therefore a higher value to the rest of the league. Hence the frequent trade rumors surrounding the Knicks organization.

Next move for the New York Knicks

The New York Knicks have done a tremendous job acquiring future draft capital over the past several years. A move that has given them incredible flexibility for roster moves, whether it is draft young prospects or trading for a current NBA star.

Following the trade for OG Anunoby, that sent RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and a 2024 second round pick from Detroit to Toronto, the Knicks will most likely trade their picks in the future.

Knicks target team trade partners

The Knicks now have immediate roster needs to fill. If you’re an opposing team looking to deal with New York, you are interested in rebuilding through the draft.

With few young prospects on the roster, the Knicks must find a trade partner with a star on the roster, throwing in the towel. Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks last season is the perfect example.

Both strategies have proven effective over the years. There are examples of both, and it’s arguable as to which is the best approach. Regardless of the team building approach, teams need picks in hand to be in a position to make franchise altering moves.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are unprotected draft picks more valuable?

Unprotected picks are picks without restrictions to the team that trades for them. On the other hand, protected picks are forfeited if the pick lands within a certain range. A range agreed upon at the time of a trade.

For example, in 2024, the Knicks hold the Washington Wizards first round pick, top 12 protected. This means that in the 2024 NBA draft, if the Wizards pick is higher than 12, say pick 9, the Knicks do not receive that pick. They will need to wait for the following season.

This is important to understand. A team with 12 first rounds picks but all top-20 protected, are less valuable than a team with 5 first round unprotected picks.

Why can’t the Knicks trade their own NBA draft picks in consecutive years?

Of the Knicks draft picks, seven are their own and can be traded unprotected, however, per league rules, they cannot trade their own picks in consecutive years.

NBA teams are restricted from trading their own first-round draft picks in consecutive years due to the Stepien Rule. The rule is named after former Cleveland Cavaliers owner Ted Stepien, whose excessive trading of future draft picks led to the implementation of this regulation.

The Stepien Rule prevents teams from being in a situation where they continuously trade away future first-round picks, leaving them without the ability to rebuild through the draft. The rule ensures a level of competitive balance and discourages teams from depleting their future assets in a manner that could be detrimental to their long-term prospects.

In essence, the rule aims to prevent teams from putting themselves at a significant disadvantage by consistently trading away their future first-round picks, promoting a more sustainable approach to team building and roster management.

What is a top-3 protected pick?

A common question relates to the concept of specific protections. In simple terms, a top 3 protected pick means that if the pick ends up in the top 3 of the draft lottery, the team that originally traded the pick retains it.