The New York Knicks Knicks have been enamored with Trey Lyles for months, according to a team source.
Lyles is a 6-foot-10 forward out of Indianapolis and played at Kentucky.
Phil Jackson sees Lyles as a good fit for the triangle offense.
April 2015 Basketball Wiretap
Knicks Considering Willie Cauley-Stein At No. 4
The New York Knicks own the fourth overall pick and are largely dependent on what happens ahead of them, but they could still pick between several players.
The Knicks are looking strongly at Willie Cauley-Stein, according to two different sources.
The Knicks realize they need to improve defensively, which is why Cauley-Stein and Justise Winslow could be options.
Lakers Would Need To See 'Heck Of An Opportunity' To Trade No. 2 Pick
The Los Angeles Lakers has not heard any enticing offers for the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.
“It would have to be a heck of an opportunity for us to consider doing something like that,” said Kupchak.
The Lakers would listen if presented a top-level veteran in exchange for the pick. Kupchak admitted that the Lakers are "a little bit impatient."
“If you came across something that made your team better quicker, it would probably be a veteran, then that’s something you would consider,” Kupchak said, “but there’s something to be said for having the No. 2 pick in terms of building going forward.”
The last time a team traded a top-two pick for a veteran was in 2001 when the Los Angeles Clippers traded the rights to Tyson Chandler to the Chicago Bulls for Elton Brand.
The top two prospects are widely considered to be Jahlil Okafor and Karl-Anthony Towns, but D'Angelo Russell and Emmanuel Mudiay could also enter the conversation.
“There’s the perception that there’s four players there (who could be drafted at No. 2),” Kupchak said. “I think there might be more.”
He said the Lakers will work out at least four players they could target with the second overall pick, but “hopefully six to eight.”
Jahlil Okafor: Injuries During Season Led To Loss Of Fitness
Jahlil Okafor has lost 12 pounds since the end of the college season, trying to get into better shape ahead of the NBA Draft and the beginning of his professional career.
"Going into the season, I was in great shape, and then as the season progressed I kind of lost that shape. [Due to] injuries, I wasn’t able to practice as much so I wasn’t as active. Now I’ve gotten back to what I was doing before I went to school, changed my diet up a little bit, and just working hard. It’ll just make me a better athlete, taking care of my body. That just goes without saying."
Okafor had outstanding production on offense, but there are questions about his ability on the defensive end of the floor.
Kupchak: Lakers Don't Have Time To Slowly Build Through Draft
The Los Angeles Lakers expect to keep the second overall pick, but their rebuilding project will likely involve pursuing free agents this summer and next.
"We don’t have …. the time to methodically and slowly build through the draft," said Mitch Kupchak.
The Lakers almost certainly won't have their own first round pick in 2016, though this year they have their own pick at No. 2 and the Houston Rockets' pick at No. 27.
The Lakers have missed out on the playoffs in 2014 and 2015.
Lakers Likely To Pick Remaining Big With 2nd Overall Pick
The Los Angeles Lakers will consider D'Angelo Russell, but the early indications are that they will choose whichever highly touted big man the Minnesota Timberwolves pass on with the first overall pick.
Karl-Anthony Towns is widely considered the top prospect in the draft, but reports have indicated that Flip Saunders also will strongly consider Jahlil Okafor.
Many NBA executives consider Okafor the safer choice of two big men with his advanced low post game.
The Lakers own the No. 2 overall pick.
Towns, Okafor, Russell, Mudiay Go 1-4 In First Post-Lottery Mocks
With the lottery complete, we can now begin to have a realistic idea of which players will end up with which teams. The following three mocks are the first projections from ESPN's Chad Ford, Jonathan Givony of Draft Express and Aran Smith of NBADraft.
ESPN
1. MIN: Karl-Anthony Towns
2. LAL: Jahlil Okafor
3. PHI: D'Angelo Russell
4. NYK: Emmanuel Mudiay
5. ORL: Kristaps Porzingis
6. SAC: Willie Cauley-Stein
7. DEN: Justise Winslow
8. DET: Mario Hezonja
9. CHA: Devin Booker
10. MIA: Stanley Johnson
11. IND: Myles Turner
12. UTA: Trey Lyles
13. PHX: Frank Kaminsky
14. OKC: Cameron Payne
Draft Express
1. MIN: Karl Anthony-Towns
2. LAL: Jahlil Okafor
3. PHI: D'Angelo Russell
4. NYK: Emmanuel Mudiay
5. ORL: Mario Hezonja
6. SAC: Willie Cauley-Stein
7. DEN: Justise Winslow
8. DET: Kristaps Porzingis
9. CHA: Stanley Johnson
10. MIA: Kelly Oubre
11. IND: Myles Turner
12. UTA: Frank Kaminsky
13. PHX: Devin Booker
14. OKC: Cameron Payne
NBADraft.net
1. MIN: Karl-Anthony Towns
2. LAL: Jahlil Okafor
3. PHI: D'Angelo Russell
4. NYK: Emmanuel Mudiay
5. ORL: Kristaps Porzingis
6. SAC: Justise Winslow
7. DEN: Mario Hezonja
8. DET: Stanley Johnson
9. CHA: Trey Lyles
10. MIA: Myles Turner
11. IND: Willie Cauley-Stein
12. UTA: Sam Dekker
13. PHX: Devin Booker
14. OKC: Cameron Payne
Wolves Willing To Consider Trading No. 1 Overall Pick
The Minnesota Timberwolves have openly mentioned the possibility of trading away the first overall pick.
Glen Taylor admitted it is unlikely, but not something they're prepared to rule out.
Taylor said it is something that will be “part of any conversation.”
“You never know what it could mean, if you could get the right one or two guys that could change your team,” Taylor said. “When you already have a bunch of young guys, you have to look at this type of stuff. But I think it's a very hard decision to make.”
The Wolves already have a young roster with several former lottery picks.
“We've got so many young guys,” Taylor said, “we would be better off not even being close to the lottery again.”
ESPN Draws Its Best Ever Rating For NBA Lottery
The 2015 NBA Draft Lottery drew a 3.2 overnight rating, making it the highest rated lottery ever shown on ESPN, according to Ben Cafardo.
With the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers at the top of the lottery, ratings were expected to be up. The Miami Heat also were in a situation where they could lose their pick entirely.
The top-5 local markets were Memphis (5.1), Houston (5.0), Miami (5.0), New York, (4.9) and Philadelphia (4.8).
Magic, Kings, Pistons, Hornets Expected To Shop Pick To Accelerate Rebuild
The Orlando Magic, Sacramento Kings, Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets are expected to seriously consider trading their lottery picks.
All four teams want to accelerate their rebuilds.
The New York Knicks are also expected to entertain offers for the No. 4 pick. The Knicks like Justise Winslow, but they're not believed to be sold on Emmanuel Mudiay.
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