The New York Knicks have a plan for Jack Kayil, and it is not the one he seemed to be chasing on draft night.
Kayil, the former Gonzaga commit who spent seven months projected as part of Mark Few’s 2026-27 backcourt picture, instead stayed in the NBA draft process after surprising the Bulldogs with his decision not to head to Spokane. He had been expected to start alongside Mario Saint-Supery and Davis Fogle, but after switching to a new agency in April, the 6'5 guard chose the pro route.
That path led him to the No. 39 pick, with his rights traded to the NBA champion Knicks. In his draft night interview, Kayil said he planned to stay in the States and compete for New York. According to SNY’s Ian Begley, though, the Knicks are planning something different: a stash overseas with his current German club, Alba Berlin, instead of a shot at the roster or a two-way contract that would split time between the NBA and the G-League with the Westchester Knicks.
Kayil’s decision was built in part on the belief that he would land in the first round of the 2026 NBA draft, which did not happen. Even so, he did go to New York in the second round after a strong season with Alba Berlin in the Bundesliga, where he earned the league’s Under-22 Player of the Year award.
The 20-year-old’s college fit at Gonzaga looked obvious on paper. Playing with Saint-Supery and Fogle would have given him room to work both on and off the ball, and the perimeter chances would have been there thanks to Fogle and big man Braden Huff. Instead, he is back with the German club where he already established himself, now tied to a Knicks roster built for winning right now rather than developing another young guard.
Gonzaga has already lived through similar turns with international players who committed, then went pro. Fanbo Zeng, a big man from China, went undrafted and played nine games in the G League with the Ignite in 2021-22 before returning to China, where he has spent the last four seasons with the Beijing Ducks.
Australian guard Alex Toohey went No. 52 in the 2025 NBA draft to the Golden State Warriors, signed a two-way contract, and was cut last December. He will join Graham Ike with the Warriors in the summer league, hoping to make his NBA debut in 2026-27.
Kayil ended up in a better spot than those two on draft night. Whether the Knicks’ overseas plan helps or hurts his long-term NBA chase is the part still waiting to be answered.
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