You never know where you’ll find NBA talent when scouting.
For the Knicks, that includes another team’s coaching staff.
In perhaps the “LOL” moment of the 2024 NBA Draft, the Knicks acquired the draft rights to Petteri Koponen as part of their trade to land international center Ariel Hukporti.
There’s just one problem regarding Koponent’s availability — he just accepted a coaching role with the Spurs’ summer league team.
“Im honored @nyknicks, but I’m still going to honor my commitment with @spurs,” Kopnonen wrote in a quote tweet of the Mavericks announcing the deal. “Of course, a financially ridiculous offer could change things. + I got the new hip! I’m ready!”
Now perhaps the Knicks truly see some upside in the 36-year-old Finnish prospect, but it seems this is just some trade tactics to balance out deals.
The full deal between the Mavericks and Knicks included Dallas landing the draft rights to the No. 51 pick, french prospect Melvin Ajinça, for the draft rights to Kukporti and Koponen, along with cash considerations.
One could understand the Knicks acquiring the draft rights to a 2024 prospect, but Koponent’s draft rights are an entirely different story since they date back to the 2007 draft and actually go back to 2004.
The names involved provide quite a trip down history lane:
In 2004, the Mavericks traded their 2007 first-round pick to the Warriors in a deal that included former Duke star Christian Laettner.
One year later, the Warriors sent that pick to the Nuggets, who traded it to the 76ers in the 2006 deal that landed them Allen Iverson.
Right there, we’ve got all-time NCAA and NBA legends linked to this prospect.
The 76ers then drafted Koponen with the final pick of the first round in 2007 but he was instead re-routed to Portland for second-round pick Derrick Byars and cash.
Four years later, the Trail Blazers sent him to Dallas in a three-way deal including Raymond Felton.
Koponen never played with the Mavericks but Dallas retained his draft rights for 13 — yes, 13! — years before sending him to the Knicks.
The 6-foot-4 guard had already transitioned to coaching two years ago after ending his international playing career in 2022 with the Helsinki Seagulls, according to the Finish outlet Italheti.
He was also a veteran of the Finland National Team.
Koponen told the outlet the Spurs called in April and he appreciated how they have incorporated European talent throughout the year.
There’s no word yet if the Knicks will make Koponen an offer he can’t refuse, but considering he did not play for Villanova, it would seem unlikely.
