Before D’Angelo Russell canceled a meeting with the Sixers last weekend, raising eyebrows, the Ohio State guard quietly worked out for the Knicks on June 11 in Westchester, The Post has learned. Russell, after the Knicks meeting, didn’t show up for the Sixers workout reportedly because he got sick. But he was back East Wednesday to work out for the forever-rebuilding Philly franchise, which may hold the key to Phil Jackson’s draft fortunes. If Karl-Anthony Towns, Jahlil Okafor and Russell are off the board at No. 4 in the June 25 NBA Draft, the Knicks may try harder to trade down and accumulate an extra asset. They have three trade exceptions to use to engineer a trade down to the No. 7-to-14 range and still land a much-coveted big man such as Willie Cauley-Stein or Frank Kaminsky, who will work out for the team Thursday. The Post reported last week the Sixers have been set on Russell at No. 3 for a while. Sixers head coach Brett Brown is a Rick Pitino disciple, and the Louisville coach is enamored with the crafty Russell, who grew up in Louisville. However, an enormous publicity campaign has been waged in the past five days by agent Andy Miller for Spanish league 7-footer Kristaps Porzingis, who had a stirring open workout in Las Vegas on Friday. Prominent draft site Draftexpress.com has penciled in Porzingis to the Sixers at No. 3. With the news injured center Joel Embid may not be ready for the start of next season, the Sixers may prefer another big man and eschew the point-guard position. That means Russell would fall to the Knicks. However, a league source insists the Sixers taking Porzingis over Russell is a reach and they are after the best available player regardless of position. “If you’re basing taking him because of last week’s workout, you should be fired,’’ the league source said. Porzingis is a polarizing player because he put up minimal statistics for Seville, is just 19 years old and his body is not NBA ready. He’s listed at 220 pounds, and some feel he’s two seasons away from contributing . - See more at:http://nypost.com/2015/06/17/knicks-hold-stealth-workout-for-dangelo-russell-will-sixers-pass/
