The New York Knicks have been gaining steam as a potential destination for LaMelo Ball, but there could be reason to pump the brakes on that assertion.
On Saturday, a Knicks-themed social media account tweeted out an image of an Instagram direct message purportedly sent by Ball’s manager, Jermaine Jackson. In the image, Jackson reacted to recent reports claiming that the 18-year-old star would prefer to be drafted by the Knicks.
“That’s a lie,” the message read.
Lamelo's manager and former Knick, Jermaine Jackson (no, not that Jermaine ) shoots down the 'Lamelo only wants the Knicks' rumors pic.twitter.com/4GyBATVRAF
— Knicks Fan TV (@KnicksFanTv) July 11, 2020
Based on the assumption that the DM exchange is real, it’s easy to see where Jackson is coming from. Putting out word that Ball prefers the Knicks could potentially dampen the interest of other lottery teams, some of whom might end up with a higher pick than the Knicks in the draft.
Of course, Ball’s father has already done a bit of damage in that regard, so Jackson may be trying to prevent his client’s market from shrinking further.
