The Knicks held private workouts for Vanderbilt’s Darius Garland and North Carolina’s Coby White over the past two days, but it’ll be very surprising if New York doesn’t select Duke’s RJ Barrett with the No. 3 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft on Thursday night.
Consider this report from SNY’s Ian Begley on Thursday morning:
Regarding the Knicks, opposing teams, agents of players expected to be selected in the top of the draft, and people in touch with the Knicks all say they will select RJ Barrett with the No. 3 pick if he’s available.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski also reported Thursday that the Knicks have been locked on Barrett, assuming Duke’s Zion Williamson and Murray State’s Ja Morant are selected first and second by the New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies, respectively.
UNC guard Coby White — perhaps the fastest rising prospect on the board — had a private workout with the Knicks at team's facility today, league sources tell ESPN. Knicks have been locked on RJ Barrett at No. 3, but summoned White after Darius Garland's workout yesterday.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 20, 2019
The Knicks reportedly rejected a trade proposal from the Atlanta Hawks, who offered the No. 8 and No. 10 picks for the No. 3 selection. New York also rejected an offer from the Houston Rockets involving All-Star point guard Chris Paul.
It’s obviously possible New York trades the No. 3 pick, perhaps in a deal for a superstar, but it sounds like choosing Barrett is the most likely scenario for the Knicks hours before the draft.
