The Knicks hold the entire fate of the second round in the palm of their hand after Tuesday night. New York owns the first pick that will be made on Wednesday, No. 31 overall, giving the team the chance to land one of the very alluring prospects who are still on the board.However, it's being heavily reported that the Knicks want to move this selection, as the front office looks to cut costs and avoid the second apron at owner James Dolan's behest.While New York ultimately trading out of the first round altogether made some sense, the same cannot be said for passing up this opportunity.Knicks can't pass up on the top prospects still available in second round of draftThe Knicks are operating as a team that's counting every dollar spent, which is sometimes an unfortunate reality that faces contenders. But one of the best ways to combat this and stay a top-tier team is by landing cheap help.There is no shortage of such to begin the second round of the 2026 draft. Duke guard/wing Isaiah Evans is fresh off a major scoring jump (6.8 ppg to 15.0 ppg) as a sophomore, which came in large part to his excellence as an off-ball shooter from deep. Despite being asked to up his attempts in his second season, Evans still logged a solid 36.1% on threes, which was preceded by 41.6% as a freshman.UNC big man Henri Veesaar is extremely easy to envision in New York thanks to his KAT-like skill set. He's an offensively gifted player despite touting real size (6-foot-11.25 without shoes) who just averaged 17.0 ppg and hit 42.6% of his shots from downtown. Veesaar will bang on the boards (8.7 rpg this season) too, and showed playmaking potential with 2.1 apg this year as well.Absolutely love Henri Veesaar as a prospect 📈 pic.twitter.com/zwG2T3uU3t— ItsAllLove (@nbanerdd) June 19, 2026Meleek Thomas looks like a legitimate spark plug at the next level who could give the Knicks' bench a scoring jolt. Thomas immediately made his mark at Arkansas as a freshman, demonstrating real offensive chops (15.6 ppg) despite being just 19 years old. His youth gives him major upside, and his flashes of game-changing defensive moments (1.5 steals per game in 2025-26) only add to the appeal.Cincinnati's Baba Miller deserves a serious look as well. Just shy of 6-foot-11 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan and 9-foot-3 standing reach, Miller is a physical specimen down low. He uses his frame to the fullest, as evidenced by his 10.3 rpg this season, which led the entire Big 12 conference. He's got some offensive skill as well, having just notched a career-high 13.0 ppg for the Bearcats.These are four incredibly strong prospects who are there for New York's taking. Each one brings multiple top traits (shooting, scoring, willingness to play off-ball, rebounding, and/or defensive potential) that fit perfectly into the team's needs and mission as a contender.The Knicks already have projects in the likes of Mohamed Diawara, Tyler Kolek, and Pacôme Dadiet. This is the time to add someone whose college production could directly translate to the league. That helps should Mitchell Robinson, Landry Shamet, and/or Jose Alvarado depart, and it also gives the team a youngster who could contribute for years on a low-cost, controlled deal.Unlike the first round, second-round contracts are not automatically guaranteed, so there's very little financial investment New York would be on the hook for. Now, going No. 31 overall comes with more prestige than, say, No. 51. This could lead to some negative consequences if whoever gets chosen there wants more money than the Knicks want to give up.But New York also has the leverage with these prospects falling out of the first round. The opportunity to possibly contribute in a rotation role immediately on the defending champions is also a notable bargaining chip that could help Leon Rose and co. get their way.Though punting on the No. 31 pick and focusing instead on two-way candidates near the end of the second round does free up a few more dollars, it's a much larger sacrifice than it's worth—both in the short- and long-term as the Knicks hope to extend their title window.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow