You by no means know the place you’ll discover NBA expertise when scouting.
For the Knicks, that features one other group’s teaching workers.
In maybe the “LOL” second of the 2024 NBA Draft, the Knicks acquired the draft rights to Petteri Koponen as a part of their commerce to land worldwide heart Ariel Hukporti.
There’s only one drawback relating to Koponent’s availability — he simply accepted a training position with the Spurs’ summer season league group.
“Im honored @nyknicks, however I’m nonetheless going to honor my dedication with @spurs,” Kopnonen wrote in a quote tweet of the Mavericks saying the deal. “After all, a financially ridiculous provide may change issues. + I bought the brand new hip! I’m prepared!”
Now maybe the Knicks actually see some upside within the 36-year-old Finnish prospect, nevertheless it appears that is just a few commerce ways to steadiness out offers.
The total deal between the Mavericks and Knicks included Dallas touchdown the draft rights to the No. 51 choose, french prospect Melvin Ajinça, for the draft rights to Kukporti and Koponen, together with money concerns.
One may perceive the Knicks buying the draft rights to a 2024 prospect, however Koponent’s draft rights are a wholly totally different story since they date again to the 2007 draft and truly return to 2004.
The names concerned present fairly a visit down historical past lane:
In 2004, the Mavericks traded their 2007 first-round choose to the Warriors in a deal that included former Duke star Christian Laettner.
One yr later, the Warriors despatched that choose to the Nuggets, who traded it to the 76ers within the 2006 deal that landed them Allen Iverson.
Proper there, we’ve bought all-time NCAA and NBA legends linked to this prospect.
The 76ers then drafted Koponen with the ultimate choose of the primary spherical in 2007 however he was as an alternative re-routed to Portland for second-round choose Derrick Byars and money.
4 years later, the Path Blazers despatched him to Dallas in a three-way deal together with Raymond Felton.
Koponen by no means performed with the Mavericks however Dallas retained his draft rights for 13 — sure, 13! — years earlier than sending him to the Knicks.
The 6-foot-4 guard had already transitioned to teaching two years in the past after ending his worldwide enjoying profession in 2022 with the Helsinki Seagulls, based on the End outlet Italheti.
He was additionally a veteran of the Finland Nationwide Crew.
Koponen instructed the outlet the Spurs known as in April and he appreciated how they’ve integrated European expertise all year long.
There’s no phrase but if the Knicks will make Koponen a suggestion he can’t refuse, however contemplating he didn’t play for Villanova, it could appear unlikely.
