Why Knicks traded down from pick 31 in 5-pick swap with Rockets

Why Knicks traded down from pick 31 in 5-pick swap with Rockets originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The New York Knicks keep passing on their selections.

They’ve traded down the 2026 NBA Draft board continuously, and they did it again on Wednesday night to start the second round.

They held the 31st pick to open the night. They sent it to the Houston Rockets.

The deal reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania involved five picks:

Sources: The New York Knicks are trading Nos. 31 and 55 to the Houston Rockets for Nos. 39 and 53 and a 2029 Kings second-rounder. The moves begin for night two of the NBA Draft.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 25, 2026

There’s always a chance the Knicks aren’t done, either.

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Why did the Knicks trade down from pick 31?

They keep up the theme of accumulating assets.

The Knicks have added a bunch of second-round picks through the draft trades so far after beginning at 24 and trading down three times now.

New York clearly doesn’t feel its current roster construction needs more pieces.

Instead, they want assets to work with in the future, and that’s what they keep adding through these trades.

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