I was listening to two different podcasts recently that had some interesting factoids about this past draft. Brian Windhorst- in a Western Conference preview for ESPN- heard that the Clippers were so concerned about Shai Gilgeous Alexander being drafted ahead of them, they were willing to give up BOTH the 12 and 13th picks to move up to get Alexander.

I also heard Danny LeRoux echo a similar point in a Cavs season outlook episode for Dunc'd On. Evidently the Cavs were deliberating between Sexton and Alexander, which had the Clippers in a panic all night. In the end, the Clippers did give up two second round picks just to move up one spot to guarantee they'd get him, so clearly the fixation with Alexander was real(and rightly so). So why the hell didn't we draft Alexander and trade down to recoup both the 12th pick and 13th pick?

Don't get me wrong, I love Kevin Knox as a prospect following his summer league performance but if we passed on him at 9, who is to say he wouldn't have been available at 12? The actual draft at that point was as follows:

10th (PHI): Mikal Bridges
11th (LAC via CHA): Shai Gilgeous Alexander
12th (CHA via LAC): Miles Bridges

...it stood to reason that the order would have held aside for Alexander and Knox changing positions. The Sixers were said to be more than comfortable with taking Mikal but were given a godfather offer from the Suns and traded down. Meanwhile the Hornets have always been a foolish franchise that gravitates toward big men and ready-to-contribute upperclassmen in the draft, which made it likely that they would have taken Miles Bridges at all cost. That means there was a realistic chance to get Kevin Knox at 12 with the opportunity to draft a Michael Porter Jr at 13.

So why not do it? Why do the Knicks always miss golden opportunities that other teams routinely capitalize on (see the Sixers and what they did on draft night)? With the NBA being a big fraternity, I can't help but think that teams have moles or some means of open communication that allows them to know the plans/intent of other franchises. So why are the Knicks so bad in reading the tea leaves and exerting leverage in situations like this?