New York Moved Up Four Spots Before Moving Again
New York sent the No. 27 and No. 38 picks in the 2020 draft to Utah for No. 23 and the draft rights to Ante Tomic. The Knicks did not keep the No. 23 selection. They used it that night in the larger three-team transaction that sent Leandro Bolmaro to Minnesota and brought New York the rights to Immanuel Quickley, the rights to Mathias Lessort and a future Detroit second-round pick. Tomic never became an NBA player for New York, so the value of this first trade rests primarily on what the No. 23 asset enabled next.
Quickley Became the Best Traceable Outcome
Quickley gave the Knicks 253 regular-season games across parts of four seasons. He finished second in Sixth Man of the Year voting in 2022-23 after averaging 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 81 games. New York then used him again in December 2023, sending Quickley, RJ Barrett and a Detroit second-round pick to Toronto for OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn. Quickley was not the only asset in that later trade, but his production and inclusion in another major transaction give the No. 23 pick a strong, directly traceable value chain.
Utah Kept Azubuike but Flipped the Second Pick
Utah used No. 27 on Udoka Azubuike, who played 68 regular-season games for the Jazz over three seasons and started 10. His role never grew beyond reserve-center minutes. The Jazz used No. 38 on Saben Lee, then immediately traded Lee's rights and Tony Bradley to Detroit for cash considerations. Lee therefore supplied no on-court value to Utah from this transaction. The Jazz did get a real NBA player in Azubuike and recovered cash from the second-round asset, but the completed return stayed limited for two selections.
The Knicks Created More Value From the Same Draft Night
This was not a direct Quickley-for-Azubuike trade, and the grade should not pretend it was. New York first converted two selections into No. 23, then used that asset inside a separate three-team deal. That distinction still leaves a traceable comparison: the Knicks turned their acquired first-round slot into a package headlined by Quickley, while Utah received three seasons of limited Azubuike minutes and cash after moving Lee. Tomic added no NBA value, but New York's downstream conversion of the pick produced the strongest player impact and another later trade asset, supporting the canonical one-grade-level edge.
Final Verdict
Knicks Win — New York B, Utah C-. New York traded Nos. 27 and 38 for No. 23 and Ante Tomic's rights, then used No. 23 in the draft-night chain that brought Immanuel Quickley, Mathias Lessort's rights and a future Detroit second to the Knicks. Quickley played 253 regular-season games for New York and later became part of the OG Anunoby trade. Utah received 68 games from Udoka Azubuike and moved Saben Lee's rights with Tony Bradley for cash. The Knicks created the stronger traceable player and asset value from their side of the exchange.