Knicks Nearly Stole Former Top Pick From Lakers

The New York Knicks were seemingly among those in the market for a potential acquisition of former number-one pick Deandre Ayton before he signed his latest deal with the Los Angeles Lakers.

According to a recent report from SNY's Ian Begley, the Knicks did "background work" on Ayton once he hit the buyout market from the Portland Trail Blazers, and was viewed as a strong fit alongside Karl-Anthony Towns in New York's frontcourt, though seemingly opted to go with the Lakers as "the best basketball fit."

"He's obviously not on their radar now, but the Knicks also did some background work on Deandre Ayton," Begley said. "Some decision makers viewed Ayton as a good fit next to Karl-Anthony Towns. Part of their background work included talking to the Trail Blazers about Ayton. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Blazers gave good feedback on Ayton to teams that called on him, which runs contrary to recent reports painting Ayton in a negative light. The Knicks received similar positive feedback from Portland about Ayton’s leadership with some of the younger Blazers."

"I assume if the Knicks paired Ayton and Towns, Mitchell Robinson would have been the club’s backup center," he said. "Ayton reportedly signed a two-year, $16.6 million deal with the Lakers. Ayton chose the Lakers over his other suitors because he viewed Los Angeles as the best basketball fit."