The Rockets selected Kayil with the No. 39 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft and traded his rights to the Knicks, Stefan Bondy of The New York Post reports.
Kayil spent the past season playing professionally in Germany, and he helped his team, Alba Berlin, earn a second-place regular-season finish while operating as a key cog on offense. Kayil has the option to stay in Germany for one more season, so this could be a draft-and-stash move from New York.