The New York Knicks might be able to find elite off-the-bench talent with the ninth pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, but all indications are that they want to pick much earlier than that.

A day before the start of the draft's first round, ESPN's Ian Begley reported via Twitter that Knicks representatives met in person with Texas center and projected top-five pick Mohamed Bamba. And ESPN's Jonathan Givnoy then piggybacked off Begley's report by adding that New York is "exploring the option of trading up" to the No. 4 spot in the draft, which is currently held by the Memphis Grizzlies.

Moving all the way into the top five would be a big jump for the Knicks, but the 7-foot-1 Bamba might be the second best prospect in the 2018 NBA Draft behind Arizona's Deandre Ayton, so a leap to at least No. 4 would appear inevitable if they are, in fact, serious about pursuing him.

The Knicks aren't the only team exploring a possible trade up, either. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday that the Dallas Mavericks (No. 5), Chicago Bulls (7), Cleveland Cavaliers (8) and Los Angeles Clippers (12) are all actively seeking to move up in the first round.