New York Knicks Predicted to Add Pair of UConn Stars in NBA Draft

Don’t look now, but there could be a UConn-Villanova rivalry coming to the New York Knicks, if things work a certain way in the league’s upcoming draft.

The NBA Draft Lottery arrived on Sunday, just ahead of the Knicks’ dismantling of the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 4 to complete a second-round sweep and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.

While the Knicks weren’t in play to receive a top-10 pick, new mock drafts soon emerged after the lottery determined the official order for the No. 1 through 14 teams.

The mock drafts typically show which teams could pick which players, and with the deep class of players coming in 2026’s version, it typically changes after the third pick.

Most of these drafts have BYU’s AJ Dybantsa as the top pick for the Washington Wizards, followed by Kansas’s Darryn Peterson going to the Utah Jazz, and Duke’s Cam Boozer joining the Memphis Grizzlies.

And based on one mock draft, the team could further bolster its roster by adding, not one, but two stars who played for Dan Hurley at UConn.

According to The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie, the Knicks will use their first-round pick, No. 24, to grab Huskies big man Tarris Reed Jr., who had a particularly strong showing through the NCAA Tournament, averaging 20 points and 13 rebounds.

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The fact that Hurley coached Reed certainly isn’t unnoticed, as his tough style produces winning players. Another former UConn center, Alex Karaban, has proven himself, quickly becoming a starter with the Portland Trail Blazers, who recently participated in the postseason.

Reed is a much different style of center and doesn’t have the same talents as Karaban, but he’s a dominant big man who teams could certainly use to slot into various lineups, likely as a reserve to come in when necessary.

The Knicks’ second-round pick is only seven selections later, near the start of the second round, and Vecenie predicts they’ll get Reed’s teammate, four-year UConn star Alex Karaban.

Interestingly, previous mock drafts were predicting Karaban could go as low as the mid-to-late 40s in the second round.

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However, more recent drafts, including Vecenie’s, indicate he’ll be very close to the end of the first round, possibly highlighting the team’s valuation of his hard work, loyalty, and, of course, being coached by Hurley. It could also mean a jump into the late first round based on this week.

Will both guys go to the Knicks? It would be intriguing if two college teammates from UConn joined the same NBA team through the draft, after seeing UConn’s Azzi Fudd get drafted No. 1 by the Dallas Wings last month and joining her former UConn teammate, Paige Bueckers.

While mock drafts usually get things right in the upper part of the draft, they become much less reliable when it comes to the lower half of the first round and the second round picks.

Still, both players are deserving of teams drafting them, and should have a chance to further prove themselves by attending this week’s NBA Draft Combine.

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This story was originally published May 11, 2026 at 1:39 PM.