NBA Draft 2026: Champion Knicks trade out of first round via swaps with Lakers, Mavericks and Suns
The NBA champion New York Knicks entered the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft with the No. 24 pick. They left it with five second-round picks and an indeterminate amount of cash.
According to the NBA Draft broadcast and hats, the Knicks used their No. 24 pick on Baylor win Cameron Carr, the No. 23 player on the big board of Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor. What they actually did was deal Carr away in the first of three trades.
The first trade:
Lakers get: No. 24 pick (Cameron Carr)
Knicks get: No. 25 pick (Sergio De Larrea), cash considerations
The Knicks then had the Lakers select Spanish wing Sergio de Larrea, whose NBA ETA is TBD but presents an intriguing long-term value at 20 years old. De Larrea was then traded to the Dallas Mavericks:
Mavericks get: No. 25 pick (Sergio De Larrea)
Knicks get: No. 30 pick (Koa Peat), two second-round picks
And then, one more trade:
Suns get: No. 30 pick (Koa Peat)
Knicks get: three second-round picks, cash considerations
So the Knicks did not select a player on Tuesday, but they are now set to select three players with the No. 31, 47 and 55 overall picks in the second round on Wednesday, per ESPN’s Shams Charania, who also reports the team intends to trade the 31st pick for even more assets before the draft resumes.
Meanwhile, the Lakers, Mavericks and Suns all have players who present interesting value in the back part of the first round.
With Los Angeles always looking for shooting around Luka Dončić and in need of athleticism overall, Carr seems to be a natural pick. More on him from O'Connor:
You could have watched every Tennessee game for two years and genuinely not known that Carr existed. Then he transferred to Baylor, and led the team in scoring, shot nearly 40% from 3 on high volume, and looked like a 3-and-D role player who also has blossoming skills off the dribble. With NBA genes in his blood, as the son of former player Chris Carr, Cameron has the skills to make it in the NBA. But at 184 pounds with not a ton of games under his belt, he's going to get introduced to the NBA's physicality in a way college basketball never did.
Then there’s de Larra, who is ranked at No. 20 on the big board and is currently playing in the ACB Finals for Valencia. O'Connor's breakdown:
De Larrea is a tall playmaking wing with major feel and a knockdown jumper who thrives within team concepts. He suffered a dislocated shoulder that ended his 2024-25 season and removed him from draft boards, but it ended up a blessing in disguise since he returned with a bigger role and stronger production for a great team in the EuroLeague. With size, smarts, and defensive versatility, he could carve out a role in the NBA if his international skill can translate.
Peat, meanwhile, once had top 10 buzz but faded as his production slipped at Arizona. He’s at No. 35 on the big board, but was taken at No. 24 on O’Connor’s final mock draft.
There's no telling what any of those players will turn into in the NBA, but these trades are part of an offseason in which the Knicks are trying to keep together their championship squad as much as possible without going over the second apron, which team owner James Dolan has treated as a non-starter.
