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LaMelo Ball News: Latest Buzz on Knicks Interest in PG
May 16, 2020
When considering star power and media market, LaMelo Ball and the New York Knicks are perhaps the best possible player-team combination in the 2020 NBA draft.
Throw in New York's need for a point guard, and it should come as no surprise the organization is interested in LaMelo.
And the attraction is mutual.
While on Complex's Load Management podcast, LaVar Ball said he believes LaMelo would be a great fit on the Knicks.
"I think so. The bright lights, East Coast," he said prior to campaigning for all three Ball brothers linking up in New York. (Lonzo Ball is a member of the New Orleans Pelicans, and LiAngelo Ball agreed to a contract with the Oklahoma City Blue of the G League shortly before the mid-March shutdown.)
Granted, that hypothetical is largely at the mercy of ping-pong balls.
Though it's possible the 2019-20 season resumes, the Knicks hold the NBA's sixth-worst record. At only 1.5 games ahead of the Atlanta Hawks for the second-worst record, the bottom of the league's standings could change substantially.
But if the NBA decides to immediately start the playoffs, New York will be left hoping to steal a top-four position—only a 37.2 percent chance right now—in the 2020 NBA draft lottery.
Should the lottery ultimately not favor the Knicks, they could orchestrate a trade to acquire Ball.
Wes Goldberg of the Bay Area News Group noted one potential trade partner is the Golden State Warriors.
"I spoke recently with NBA draft expert Chad Ford, and he seems to believe there would be one team in the market to trade up should the ping-pong balls not fall their way: the New York Knicks. Specifically, Ford said, for LaMelo Ball."
New York actually has a reasonable chance at such a deal.
The Knicks added first-round selections in previous trades with the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks. The picks from the Clippers in 2020 and Mavs in 2021 are unprotected. Unlike many "trade up" dreams, this one is at least logical.
No matter what the future holds, the safe assumption is most NBA teams rate Ball highly thanks to his offensive ability.
"Teams should be able to bank on Ball to create easy shots for teammates in transition and off ball screens," according to Bleacher Report's NBA draft expert Jonathan Wasserman.
That creativity and vision may help offset the concerns about his shooting motion and defensive contributions.
Ball averaged 17 points, 7.6 rebounds and 6.8 assists in 12 appearances for the Illawarra Hawks in Australia. He's ranked No. 1 on Wasserman's latest big board.
Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR