Who Could the Knicks Draft with the Wizards' Pick?

The New York Knicks defeated the Washington Wizards 119-102 last night behind 31 points from Karl-Anthony Towns and a double-double off the bench by Josh Hart.

Knicks fans should expect the Wizards to be bad this season. They currently sit 14th in the Eastern Conference at 1-6, and their youthful lineup indicates a priority to aim for one of the three projected superstars at the top of the 2026 NBA Draft.

If you’re a delusional Knicks fan like myself (and CP, who said so last night), you are rooting for Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson, Bilal Coulibaly, and Bub Carrington to take leaps this season. Why? Because New York owns Washington’s 2026 pick, but it is top-eight protected.

To be rational, it’s unlikely that eight teams will finish worse than the Wizards, but the luck of the lottery could go the Knicks’ way if Washington is good enough.

Who would the Knicks target with a hypothetical mid-to-late lottery pick? To celebrate the NCAA MBB’s tip-off yesterday, I asked KFTV’s draft expert Chris Lebron for some names to look out for that could make a good fit for New York.

As a freshman, he didn’t get to play much with future lotto pick Khaman Maluach being the starter for the Blue Devils. But in limited minutes, he showed some flashes. With Mitchell Robinson’s injury history and free agency impending, the Knicks will need to add depth if he leaves.

Patrick provides tremendous footwork in the post with the ability to finish with either hand. He has strong hands and rarely gets the ball ripped away from him. His best trait is his passing out of the post: he makes good decisions and has great velocity on his passes. He’s not going to wow you with his athletic ability, and he’s not the defender Mitchell Robinson is, but he’s no slouch. 

Dash is a lot like his big brother Dyson, who was the runner-up for DPOY and led the league in steals as an absolute defensive menace. Dash is just 17 years old and has handled himself well in the NBL’s physical brand of ball. They played the Pelicans this preseason, and he played like a five-year veteran. He doesn’t play like his age — his on-ball defense is already elite, and he is so poised for a player so young. If he can get the shot mechanics down, the sky is the limit for Dash. 

“Slim,” aka Isaiah Evans, may have been a one-and-done prospect had Cooper Flagg not shown up at Duke. In limited minutes, he shot 41% from 3, and the Knicks could use some shooting depth off the bench. He’s tremendous off-the-ball as a movement player and can score off the catch or dribble. He’s gotten a lot stronger since last year, and with no Flagg or Kon Knueppel, expect some more on-ball work from him.