Knicks Trade Rumors: NY 'Hunting' 2nd 1st-Round Pick to Select Bol Bol

Kyle Newport @@KyleNewportFeatured ColumnistJune 20, 2019

Oregon center Bol Bol reacts after scoring a goal during the second half of an NCAA college basketball consolation game against Syracuse in the 2K Empire Classic, Friday, Nov. 16, 2018, at Madison Square Garden in New York. Oregon 80-65. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Mary Altaffer/Associated Press

The New York Knicks are "hunting" an additional first-round pick in the 2019 NBA draft in an effort to select former Oregon Ducks center Bol Bol, according to CBS Sports' Reid Forgrave.

New York currently owns the Nos. 3 and 55 picks. It used the third overall pick on former Duke star RJ Barrett.

Bol, the son of former NBA center Manute Bol, is viewed as one of the most polarizing prospects in the draft, having played in just nine games at the collegiate level.

247Sports ranked the younger Bol as the No. 1 center prospect and the No. 4 overall recruit in the class of 2018. When he took the court for the Ducks, he more than showed why he was a 5-star recruit, averaging 21.0 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game as a freshman.

However, the 7'2", 235-pound center saw his 2018-19 season come to an end in early December due to a non-displaced fracture of the navicular bone in his left foot. He underwent surgery back in January.

That injury has created some uncertainty in his draft stock:

Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn
“This guy’s a top-five talent. No doubt about it. … He handles like a guard. He can shoot it off the dribble. The only other guy I can think of that when they’re at their best offers that blend of skills at 7-3 is Porzingis. ... He’s the most polarizing guy in this draft.”

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Jon Rothstein @JonRothstein
On the eve of the 2019 NBA Draft, Oregon's Bol Bol remains a major mystery. Despite an initial invite to the Green Room, the 7-2 big man remains far from a lock to go among the Top 20, according to sources.

While he has been rumored to come off the board anywhere from the top 10 to the late first round, Bol appears to have a floor. Bleacher Report draft expert Jonathan Wasserman reported Thursday that Bol is not expected to slide past the Boston Celtics, who own the 14th, 20th and 22nd selections.

Wasserman ranks Bol as the No. 21 prospect in this year's draft class.

New York (17-65) finished with the worst record in the NBA last season. Although 2018 second-round pick Mitchell Robinson remains on the roster, adding Bol to the mix would help shore up the frontcourt in the Big Apple.