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PHILADELPHIA - MARCH 21: Chinemelu Elonu #41, Josh Carter #23 and Donald Sloan #15 of the Texas A&M Huskies walk off the court after being defeated 92-66 by the Connecticut Huskies during the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Wachovia Center on March 21, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

The New York Knicks spent Tuesday night making four trades in 10 minutes, collecting draft picks, cash considerations and additional salary-cap flexibility.

They also acquired the rights to a 39-year-old former draft pick.

Welcome to another draft night in the world of Brock Aller.

Lost amid the chaos of the Knicks’ rapid-fire maneuvering out of the first round was one of the more unusual wrinkles of the 2026 NBA Draft. According to The Athletic’s Fred Katz, New York quietly acquired the draft rights to three international players as part of the sprawling four-team trade involving the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns.

One of them could eventually help the Knicks.

One of them once belonged to the Knicks.

And one of them was drafted when Barack Obama had just moved into the White House.

Meet the Knicks’ Newest “Prospects”

GettyMelvin Ajinça of the Dallas Mavericks poses for a portrait during the 2024 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot at UNLV on July 16, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The most intriguing addition is Melvin Ajinça, a 21-year-old French wing whose rights returned to New York as part of the deal.

Unlike the other players involved, Ajinça remains a legitimate developmental prospect.

The 6-foot-8 wing spent last season with ASVEL, one of France’s top clubs, appearing in both EuroLeague and LNB Elite competition. He averaged 6.0 points in EuroLeague play and 7.5 points in France’s domestic league while continuing to develop against high-level competition.

The shooting numbers remain a work in progress — 32.7% from three in EuroLeague play and 29.7% in LNB Elite — but at 21 years old, Ajinça still possesses the type of size and athletic upside NBA teams are willing to invest in.

GettyLouis Labeyrie shows off his medal after team defeats Australia winning the FIBA 2019 Basketball World Cup third place match between France and Australia during the 3rd place game of 2019 FIBA World Cup at Beijing Wukesong Sport Arena on September 15, 2019 in Beijing, China.

Then there’s Louis Labeyrie.

The 34-year-old French big man may sound familiar to longtime Knicks fans because he technically has been here before.

Labeyrie’s rights were acquired by New York on draft night in 2014 after he was selected with the 57th overall pick. He even suited up for the Knicks in the 2015 Summer League before returning overseas.

More than a decade later, he remains active professionally in France and somehow finds himself back on the Knicks’ transaction ledger.

Some draft rights never really leave home.

And then there’s Chinemelu Elonu.

The moment Katz reported his inclusion in the trade, Knicks fans collectively did a double take.

The Knicks’ Most Experienced “Prospect”

Elonu was selected 59th overall in the 2009 NBA Draft.

Barack Obama was in his first year as president. LeBron James was still with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Knicks had not won a playoff series in nearly a decade.

Elonu is now 39 years old.

To be clear, he is not retired. The former Lakers draft pick continued playing professionally overseas as recently as 2024, building a basketball journey that has taken him through Spain, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Puerto Rico and Kuwait.

Still, seeing his name appear in a 2026 NBA Draft trade was enough to stop even seasoned NBA observers for a second.

Which raises a fair question: Why would the Knicks want his draft rights?

Welcome to the World of Brock Aller

The answer is simple: because assets are assets.

For years, Knicks executive Brock Aller has developed a reputation as one of the NBA’s most creative salary-cap and asset-management minds.

That often means finding value where other teams see paperwork.

International draft rights can be included in trades, used to balance transactions and occasionally become useful pieces in larger deals. Sometimes they never matter at all.

But acquiring them costs virtually nothing.

Katz jokingly referred to the latest additions as another chapter in Aller’s long-running collection of international draft rights.

At this point, it has become something of a draft-night tradition.

The Real Point Was Never the Players

The Knicks did not execute a series of draft-night trades because they envisioned Elonu reporting to training camp.

The bigger objective was flexibility.

New York exited the first round, acquired five second-round picks, collected cash considerations and moved farther away from the NBA’s restrictive second apron.

The international rights were simply part of the package.

Still, only the Knicks could win a championship, make four trades in 10 minutes and somehow end the night reacquiring a former draft pick, adding a legitimate prospect and obtaining the rights to a player who was drafted 17 years ago.

Whether any of the three ever factors into the franchise’s future remains to be seen.

For now, they have become the latest additions to Brock Aller’s ever-growing collection of possibilities.