Clippers to acquire No. 50 pick Kobe Sanders from Knicks

The Los Angeles Clippers have moved up by one spot in the second round of the draft, acquiring the No. 50 pick from the New York Knicks and used it on Nevada wing Kobe Sanders, per Law Murray of The Athletic.

The Knicks moved down to No. 51, acquiring the draft rights from Luka Mitrovic from L.A. in the deal, reports Jake Fischer of The Stein Line. New York used the 51st overall pick on French forward Mohamed Diawara.

Sanders, a 6-foot-6 senior, transferred to Nevada after four seasons with Cal Poly. He averaged 15.8 points, 4.5 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals last season. He shot 46.2% from the field and 34.2% from beyond the arc.

Mitrovic was drafted in 2015 and has never played in the NBA, so it’s safe to say he won’t be coming stateside. Fred Katz of The Athletic notes he can’t even be used in a trade since he wasn’t part of the last nine drafts, so there doesn’t seem to be a compelling reason why the Knicks dropped one spot.

As for Diawara, the 6-foot-8, 20-year-old forward averaged 5.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists for Cholet last season. Diawara is also good friends with Knicks 2024 first-round pick Pacome Dadiet, according to Ian Begley of SNY TV. He’s viewed as a good athlete and strong defender, as he often guarded the opponent’s lead ballhandler for France’s U-20 team, Begley adds.