Atlantic Notes: Knicks, D. Smith, Sixers, Celtics

While top point guard prospects like Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball, and De’Aaron Fox may be off the board by the time the Knicks pick at No. 8 in the draft, North Carolina State’s Dennis Smith Jr. has “landed squarely in their crosshairs,” according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. Berman takes a closer look at Smith, and speaks to his college coach Mark Gottfried, who is skeptical that the young point guard will still be available at No. 8.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

• In the wake of Tuesday night’s draft lottery results, Joel Embiid shared his thoughts on the potential No. 3 pick for the Sixers, per Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com. Embiid acknowledged that Fultz and Ball will likely be gone by the time Philadelphia picks, but identified Josh Jackson and Jayson Tatum as two targets for his team.
• Last week, we heard that Furkan Korkmaz would like to join the Sixers for the 2017/18 season, but that report came with the caveat that Philadelphia is “in no rush” to bring over the 2016 first-rounder. President of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo essentially confirmed as much on Wednesday, suggesting that the 19-year-old may not be physically ready for the NBA, and adding that Korkmaz’ buyout also complicates the situation. Tom Moore of The Bucks County Courier Times has the details and the quotes from Colangelo.
• Iowa State’s Deonte Burton will work out for the Knicks on Wednesday and the Celtics next Friday, reports Ian Begley of ESPN.com. Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com adds another Boston-related workout note, tweeting that the C’s auditioned Kentucky’s Hamidou Diallo prior to the combine.
• Earlier today, we rounded up a few Celtics-related items and examined the Sixers‘ salary cap situation for 2017/18.