Duke basketball: RJ Barrett welcomes Trevor Keels to New York

Another Duke basketball freshman has landed with the New York Knicks. 

It was a strange evening for the New York Knicks but the popular organization ended the 2022 NBA Draft with a ton of salary cap space and Duke basketball freshman guard Trevor Keels.

Keels was selected by the team with the No. 42 overall pick on Thursday night after the franchise traded Ousmane Dieng, the No. 11 overall pick, to the Oklahoma City Thunder and also traded Jalen Duren, acquired by trade with the Charlotte Hornets, to the Detroit Pistons.

The decision was not easy for Trevor Keels to enter the 2022 NBA Draft as the Clinton, Maryland native waited until the final hours to officially his intentions to remain in the draft.

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Keels averaged 11.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game on 41.9-percent shooting from the floor and an inconsistent 31.2-percent from 3-point range in his lone season with the Blue Devils.

However, he will be teaming up with another Duke standout guard with the Knicks, RJ Barrett.

Duke basketball standout welcomes newest teammate

Barrett was the No. 3 overall pick by New York in the 2019 NBA Draft and is developing into one of the bright young stars in the league after averaging a career-high 20.0 points per game last season.

The Mississauga, Ontario native welcomed Keels to the Knicks on social media shortly after the selection by saying, “Another one to the Mecca!! Congrats my guy the brotherhood is real.”

New York made the postseason, as the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, for the first time since 2012-13 during the abbreviated 2020-21 season, but struggled to find that same rhythm and consistency in 2021-22.

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The Knicks finished with a 37-45 record, the 11th best in the East and missing the NBA Play-In Tournament by six games.

It remains unclear if Trevor Keels will get a legitimate shot at making the rotation for the Knicks this season under head coach Tom Thibodeau, who typically does not go deep into his bench, but the Blue Devil will need to work on his body and shot in order to impress his new squad.