Last year, the Knicks traded out of the first round.
They don’t even have that option this year.
For the second straight June, team president Leon Rose and Co. won’t be making a first-round pick after the Mavericks stayed in the top 10 following Tuesday night’s draft lottery.
The Knicks had owned the Dallas pick as part of the Kristaps Porzingis trade, but it had top-10 protections and it wound up slotting in at No. 10.
There was only a 20.2 percent chance of the pick falling and belonging to the Knicks.
The Mavericks worked the system to give themselves the best odds of keeping the selection, sitting several of their top players in their final two games to avoid reaching the play-in tournament to improve their odds of the pick being in the top 10.
They were fined $750,000 for “conduct detrimental to the league.” The Knicks still own the pick in 2024 or 2025 under the same protections, or it becomes a second-round pick.
The Knicks sent their own pick, 23rd overall, to the Trail Blazers along with Cam Reddish in exchange for Josh Hart.
The absence of a first-round pick is significant, considering how well Rose and his staff have drafted. Immanuel Quickley and Quentin Grimes, both taken 25th overall, have proven to be finds.
They have even found contributors in the second round, with Miles McBride and Jericho Sims.
The Knicks do not own a second-round pick, either.
Hart was a major part of the Knicks’ best season in a decade, helping them go 17-8 to close out the regular season following the trade and beat the favored Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs.
Hart, it should be noted, is expected to decline his $12.9 million option and become a free agent.
However, he has made it clear he prefers to remain a Knick and there is a belief the team would like to keep the valuable two-way wing after he averaged 10.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.6 assist in 25 games for them while shooting a robust 51.9 percent from 3-point range.
“That’s something I definitely want to do,” Hart said on Feb. 23. “I want a home. I want to find a home. This is a place where I would love that home to be. On the court, there are so many things that align with my principles as a player and off the court just being around with friends and close to family. This would be an amazing spot. Hopefully they feel the same. It’s a perfect situation for me on and off the court.”