There were 18 trades completed during the 2024 NBA Draft. While we didn’t see any stars exchange teams, there were several draft pick trades, and even a few that included the draft rights of past players selected moving to a new organization. This included the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs making multiple moves.
Once the second round tipped off on Thursday, it became nearly impossible to keep up with who went where and which team was actually on the clock. Eventually, the information trickled out, giving all fanbases a chance to catch up to what players, picks, and draft rights were exchanged.
But there was one particular trade that stuck out, due to how odd the agreement was.
During the second round of the draft, the Dallas Mavericks traded up from 58 to 51 to select French forward Melvin Ajinca. But that’s not the big takeaway here.
What was really crazy was seeing the trade return that went back to the New York Knicks. They received the 58th pick, which was used on German center Ariel Hukporti, cash considerations, and the draft rights to Petteri Koponen.
But here’s the thing, Koponen was drafted 30th overall, back in 2007. This is a guy who’s 36 years old, his playing days are done. In fact, he only recently accepted a job offer to coach with the San Antonio Spurs.
Once word got back to Koponen that he had been traded, the Finnish coach couldn’t help but have some fun with it, noting that while he’s flattered, he won’t be joining the Knicks and will honor his agreement with San Antonio.
We really don’t understand why Koponen’s draft rights were included in this deal. There was never a chance that he’d make his NBA playing debut with the Knicks, but we appreciate the humor behind the deal.
Related: 2024 NBA Draft: 10 biggest winners and losers, including Timberwolves, Spurs, and Bronny James
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