kemba walker
Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Trying to follow what’s going on in the NBA draft will make your head spin. The Knicks have already drafted Ousmane Dieng and immediately sent him packing. Now, they are acquiring Jalen Duren from the Hornets (who took him 13th overall) and immediately sending him to the Detroit Pistons with Kemba Walker.

For a brief moment, the possibility of Jaden Ivey making his way to New York seemed like it was in play. But alas, this is a salary dump so the Knicks can, in all likelihood, pursue Jalen Brunson.

A first-rounder and four second-rounders is a hefty price to pay to dump Walker’s $9 million in 2022-23 salary. Ouch.

“Same ol’ Knicks” is an understatement at this point. Leon Rose is taking the star chasing to a whole new level. Instead of waiting for the books to clear, he’s giving away a lot to dump salary.

The Knicks are essentially punting on bringing in any young players in this draft in order to load up on free agency this year. The reported target is Jalen Brunson, which is fine because he’s a great player, but there is more to it.

The Knicks are going to have to pay him — a lot. Not to mention, there is no guarantee that he is going to come to New York even if they move the sun and stars to clear the salary cap space. To go even further, they still don’t have enough cap space to sign Brunson.

It would be impossible to know what Leon Rose is thinking because he refuses to speak to the media unless it’s a softball interview on MSG Networks. Our best guess is that he’s trying to acquire Jalen Brunson, re-sign Mitchell Robinson, and essentially run it back with a team that was a huge disappointment last season.

Maybe he has another trick up his sleeve. But don’t hold your breath.

NY/NJ hoops reporter (NBA/NCAA) & sports betting writer for XL Media. Never had the makings of a varsity athlete.