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Phil Jackson: Knicks interested in 76ers' second-round picks

With seven draft picks, the 76ers will have plenty of options in the NBA draft June 26. New York Knicks president Phil Jackson hopes one of those options involves selling a second-round selection to his franchise for the right price.

(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
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With seven draft picks, the 76ers will have plenty of options in the NBA draft June 26.

New York Knicks president Phil Jackson hopes one of those options involves selling a second-round selection to his franchise for the right price.

"We have a limited amount of funds that we can use," Jackson told New York reporters Friday. "It's been prorated now to every team. You know, teams do sell draft picks.

"We are going to approach teams and ask them if they're willing to allow us to buy a draft pick if we feel like there's a player we want to have at a position that comes up."

He specifically mentioned the Sixers and the Milwaukee Bucks, who have four draft picks. Five of the Sixers' seven picks are in the second round at Nos. 32, 39, 47, 52, and 54. The Knicks have no picks in this year's draft.

"They can't even put them on the roster," Jackson said of the Sixers' and Bucks' total picks. "You can't draft that many players and have them as part of your roster. So obviously something is going to go on in that situation."

Nerlens Noel, Michael Carter-Williams, Thaddeus Young, Tony Wroten, and Arnett Moultrie are the only Sixers signed to guaranteed contracts next season. Jason Richardson and Byron Mullens have until the end of June to decide whether they'll accept their player options to remain Sixers. The franchise has the same deadline to pick up team options for next season on Elliot Williams and James Anderson.

The remaining players on the roster are on non-guaranteed multiyear deals.

The Sixers, however, are expected to retain only a small portion of the players on non-guaranteed contracts. The maximum number of players allowed on an NBA regular-season roster is 15.

The Knicks aren't the only franchise that might shop for draft picks.

The Brooklyn Nets, Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans, and Golden State Warriors are also without first- and second-round picks. Meanwhile, the Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards, and Indiana Pacers don't have first-round selections.

"So it could be a bidding war [for draft picks]," Jackson said. "We are not going to run ourselves into the ground chasing this if it doesn't work out."

@PompeyOnSixers