The shine is still illuminating brightly around the New York Knicks and their 2026 NBA championship. And it isn’t likely to stop anytime soon. While the Knicks are enjoying their parade today, they have some important business to tend to, starting with next week’s draft.
Knicks Need to Hit on Their 2026 Draft Picks
The Knicks own three draft picks in the 2026 draft. It is the third time in the last five seasons that the Knicks have owned three or more draft picks and the fourth occasion in the last eight. However, the Knicks haven’t had much success in the draft, so they need to hit on their trio of picks.
Since the 2018 draft, New York has held 17 draft picks. Mitchell Robinson, who was the No. 36 pick in 2018, and 2024 first-round pick Pacôme Dadiet are the only players who remain on the team. Speaking of Dadiet, he was always known as a long-term prospect, but he has only appeared in 47 games over the last two seasons as he has struggled mightily to shoot the ball. While Dadiet has shown signs of development in the G-League, the Knicks had the opportunity to draft Baylor Scheierman, Isaiah Collier, Ryan Dunn, Jonathan Mogbo or Kyle Fillipowski instead of the 20-year-old Frenchman.
Dadiet isn’t the only draft pick the Knicks have missed on over this stretch. The Knicks also missed on Trevor Keels and Kevin Knox. More significantly, the Knicks have traded away 10 of their draft picks on draft night — Ajay Mitchell and Kyshawn George — and didn’t receive anything of substance in return. On the plus side, they did flip former first-round selection RJ Barrett, in a package deal, for OG Anunoby.
