The New York Knicks have clinched a playoff berth and with three regular season games left to play, the team can take a bit of a breather. The hope is that by the time the playoffs begin, Julius Randle will be back on the court after suffering a left ankle sprain last week.
While all of the talk is about what the Knicks can achieve in the playoffs, fans need to pay attention to how the Dallas Mavericks close out the regular season. The Mavericks are No. 11 in the West, one game back from the No. 10 Thunder. If the season ended today, Dallas would be out of play-in range.
Knicks fans shouldn’t necessarily be rooting for the Mavericks to make the play-in tournament, but it would benefit New York for Dallas to finish the regular season on a strong note. The Knicks own the Mavericks’ 2023 first-round pick from the Kristaps Porzingis trade, but the catch is that it’s top-10 protected. Currently, it’s projected to be the No. 10 pick in the draft, meaning that New York wouldn’t have a first-round pick.
Knicks having 2023 first-round draft pick hinges on how Mavericks end regular season
A perfect Sunday for the Knicks would’ve entailed not only a playoff clinching win over the Wizards, but also a Mavericks win. Dallas beating Atlanta would’ve put the first-round pick at No. 11. Instead, the Mavericks lost, 132-130, in overtime to extend their losing streak to three. Dallas has lost seven of its last eight games.
One solution for the Mavericks’ problems this season would’ve been re-signing Jalen Brunson to a contract when they had the chance. However, Dallas’ issues go even deeper than that. There’s even been speculation that Luka Doncic could want out this summer, which would open up the possibility of the 24-year-old landing in New York.
The Knicks have benefitted from the Mavericks’ mistakes, from the Porzingis trade to passing on Brunson. New York still needs another assist from Dallas, though. If the Knicks do get the Mavericks’ first-round pick, there’s no guarantee that New York will draft a player with that pick. Who knows, maybe the pick could be packaged for the star that the front office has been waiting for. It’s still too soon to tell.
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It’s extremely hard to sit and watch Dallas play basketball, but Knicks fans need to at least monitor how they perform against the Kings, Bulls, and Mavericks to close out the regular season. Not getting a first-round pick wouldn’t be the end of the world for New York, but hey, it also wouldn’t hurt to go to the playoffs and still pick in the lottery.
Go… Mavericks? Please don’t shut Doncic and Kyrie Irving down for the season.
