Knicks 2026 NBA Draft Big Board: Top Targets for Every Pick, Round, Need

Breaking down the Knicks' NBA draft big board based on needs. | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Just like that, the 2026 NBA Draft is already here for the Knicks. They enter Tuesday with an alluring opportunity during this event to set their future selves up incredibly well, regardless of whether they use all three picks they currently own or end up trading at least one of them.

Assuming they don't pass on this chance to add cost-controlled rookie help, here is how New York's big board of top targets for every round may look entering the draft:

Best Knicks options at No. 24 pick

1. Isaiah Evans, G, Duke
2. Henri Veesaar, PF/C, North Carolina
3. Zuby Ejiofor, F/C, St. John's
4. Meleek Thomas, G, Arkansas
5. Jayden Quintance, C, Kentucky

The main goal the Knicks enter the draft with is reinforcing their bench, both to support the locked-in starting five and in case Mitchell Robinson and/or Landry Shamet walk. Luckily, there are plenty of prospects who fit the bill.

Henri Veesaar is an offensively gifted big who's also a strong rebounder, which could allow him to serve in the KAT role even when the latter is sitting. Zuby Ejiofor offers a hard-working energizer in the frontcourt who can do all the little things, even without the most size at 6-foot-9 in shoes. Then there's the high-upside gamble of Jayden Quaintance, a tempting choice despite injury concerns due to his ability to fly all over the court, corral boards and contest shots.

St. John's Red Storm forward Zuby Ejiofor is one potential target for the Knicks at No. 24. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Isaiah Evans and Meleek Thomas are bigger guards/wings who would more than fit the bill as an injection of scoring off the bench and provide defensive upside as well. Evans was a stellar three-point shooter in two seasons at Duke who thrived off the ball, which is the perfect archetype for a loaded Knicks roster. Meanwhile, Thomas is an extremely promising youngster who was already a strong scorer (15.6 PPG) as a freshman at Arkansas this season and turns just 20 years old in August.

Best players Knicks could draft at No. 31

1. Tarris Reed Jr., C, UConn
2. Alex Karaban, F, UConn
3. Sergio de Larea, G/F, Spain
4. Emanuel Sharp, G, Houston
5. Baba Miller

If New York does go with a wing at No. 24, Tarris Reed Jr. should be the top prospect in mind to begin the second round. He's got legitimate size (just under 6-foot-10 without shoes)—which is rare in a class that holds a lot of undersized bigs—that he fully uses to his advantage, as evidenced by his staggering 9.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game in 2025-26. He's also ultra-efficient on offense (60.7 FG% led the entire Big East) and has some playmaking potential as well (2.3 APG this season).

Today is a great day for Tarris Reed to be a first-round pick. pic.twitter.com/03ZwjOFYix

— Postradamus (@Postradamus4) June 23, 2026

Should the Knicks address the frontcourt at 24, then Alex Karaban and Emanuel Sharp deserve serious looks on the wing. Karaban is a smart player who limits mistakes, hits threes consistently, and will do everything a team needs from him to win games (he helped UConn capture two national titles in four seasons). Sharp is an ascending scorer with great shooting splits (38.1% from deep, 87.0% from the free-throw line over the last two years) and a career-best 15.5 PPG in his final season at Houston.

New York could also go the draft-and-stash route to save on rookie spending that it can put toward Shamet or Robinson. In that case, Spain's Sergio de Larrea follows in the footsteps of taller international playmakers. Meanwhile, Cincinnati's Baba Miller offers an exciting pivot if Reed is off the board, standing 6-foot-11 and just averaged 10.3 RPG this season.

Best dart throws for Knicks with pick No. 55

1. Dillon Mitchell, F, St. John's
2. Felix Okpara, F/C, Tennessee
3. Izaiyah Nelson, F/C, USF
4. Oscar Cluff, C, Purdue
5. Aaron Nkrumah, G, Tennessee State

Even with one of the final picks of the second round, the Knicks will be looking to address one of a few needs: center help, adding more wings, or getting a shooting/scoring threat. That is tougher near the end of the draft since these players are bigger unknowns, but there are a few who could be worth a flyer.

Local product Dillon Mitchell is a Josh Hart-lite who makes his impact felt without a ton of scoring. Felix Okpara (6-foot-10 without shoes) and Oscar Cluff (listed at 6-foot-11) provide frontcourt options with real size, strong rebounding and good-to-great block activity.

Local prospect Dillon Mitchell could be an interesting second-round option for the Knicks in Round 2. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Izaiyah Nelson is an energetic forward who made a big leap as a scorer (15.9 PPG) this season while doing the dirty work and disrupting defensively (9.6 RPG, 1.4 BPG, 1.6 SPG). And there's Aaron Nkrumah, who is flying under the radar a bit as a Tennessee State alum, but he's a productive shooter (43.8% on 13.4 FG attempts this season) and just led his conference in steals with a whopping 2.8 per game.

Though New York owns pick Nos. 24, 31 and 55 as of Tuesday afternoon, that could certainly change by the time the draft starts at 8 p.m. ET. Leon Rose could even execute a trade during the event itself as the board shakes out, but if he opts to stay put, it's clear there are some great prospects he'll have his choice of.