The New York Knicks were primed to take a massive step forward this season when they signed Jalen Brunson from the Dallas Mavericks and put their best foot forward in terms of trying to trade for Donovan Mitchell, who went to the Cleveland Cavaliers instead. That trade not going through means the Knicks have the most assets of any team in the NBA looking to go into win-now mode.
Shams Charania reported that the Knicks are scouring the market for the first megastar that may become available for a trade this season. With recent buzzing within the Los Angeles Lakers about the possible future of Anthony Davis, could the Knicks already have a valid target in mind?
This Bleacher Report trade suggests that the Knicks move their less-valuable 2023 protected draft picks and give up 2 picks of their own in 2023 and 2025 to get AD could be an intelligent trade for the team. They will still maintain enough assets to make further moves later, while the Lakers could get a monster package that replenishes their draft assets and gives them young players like RJ Barrett and Obi Toppin to develop the post-LeBron future around.
Would This Be A Good Trade For Both Sides?
If the Lakers get a call with this offer, it’s going to be very tough for them to say no. Davis has too many injury question marks around him, and this trade allows them to get a lot of assets to rebuild their team around LeBron while also having a plan for the future with a player like Barrett.
This might leave the Knicks thinner than they’d want. Giving up Mitchell Robinson will need them to promote Isaiah Hartenstein to starting center, and he is a good stylistic fit with AD. However, Davis fitting alongside Julius Randle will be odd, so the Knicks will have to move on from Julius for this to make sense.
Both teams get something out of it, but the Knicks might also monitor the situation of Shai-Gilgeous Alexander in Oklahoma City and choose their targets at their own discretion.
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