Chris Duarte says he’s the win-now option in the NBA draft
For the inquiries about his age ― and, by extension, the negative connotations that accompany being the oldest first-round prospect of his class ― Chris Duarte has an emphatic answer.
“I’m 24 years old and my response is, if you want to win right now, go ahead and take me,” Duarte said Tuesday. “If you want to win six or eight years later, go ahead and draft an 18-year-old kid and develop him.”
Duarte, a sharpshooting guard from the University of Oregon, has been a rising stock ahead of Thursday’s draft. He’s also firmly on the Knicks' radar, having recently worked out for Tom Thibodeau’s squad while meeting with, among others, team executives Leon Rose and William Wesley.
“We’ll see what happens,” said Duarte, a native of the Dominican Republic who was a basketball late-bloomer. “My goal is to play in the NBA and stay there for a long time. So we’ll what happens. I like the Knicks. I like Golden State. So we’ll see what happens.”
The Knicks, said multiple sources, have been trying to package their picks (19th, 21st and 32nd) to move up in the draft. It might be necessary if they target Duarte, whose draft range starts at the end of the lottery. According to Hoopshype, New York reached out to the Warriors about their 14th pick and the Pelicans about their 10th pick.
The Warriors, who’ve been linked to Duarte, are the biggest wild card of the draft. They’re operating on a win-immediately timeline with Steph Curry as the centerpiece, and could package their picks (7th and 14th) for a top-level veteran. If Golden State makes its picks, however, Duarte is a good fit because of his experience and 3-and-D capabilities.
The Knicks took a gamble last year on the oldest first-round pick – Obi Toppin – and it mostly backfired. Toppin wasn’t ready for the NBA, but his contributions also weren’t necessary because of Julius Randle’s All-NBA emergence. He improved throughout the season and contributed positively in the playoffs, despite a report that he was being cut from the rotation.
Duarte, unlike Toppin, was a strong defender in college and believes that will translate to the NBA. He also met with the Warriors, the Wizards (15th pick), Spurs (12th), Charlotte (11th) and OKC (6th, 16th, 18th).
The Knicks only have two guards currently under contract for next season (Immanuel Quickley and Luca Vildoza). Five others — Derrick Rose, Alec Burks, Frank Ntilikina, Elfrid Payton, Reggie Bullock — are free agents this summer. New York has strong interest in re-signing Bullock and Rose, according to sources, after they helped the Knicks earn the franchise’s first playoff berth in eight years.
“They are a good team. They had a good season last year,” Duarte said. “I can’t control if they draft me. That’s up to them. But the Knicks had a great team. We saw last year they had a great season.”
