Knicks Trade Idea Could Shake Up Eastern Conference Heirarchy

The New York Knicks need to take advantage of this season. The two Eastern Conference Finalists from last season are without their best players because of injury, and the East is ready for a new team to represent them in the NBA Finals. The Knicks have started the season off playing OK. They are 7-4, which is good for the second seed in the East, but their play hasn’t inspired confidence that they are going to be a super dangerous contender this year. 

The Knicks could definitely separate themselves from the rest of the pack if they made a big swing with a trade for another superstar. 

Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report proposed a huge three-team deal that would land the Knicks Anthony Davis and a great shot at an NBA title. The trade looks like this:

“Mavericks get:

Karl-Anthony Towns (from Knicks)

Guerschon Yabusele (from Knicks)

Tyler Kolek (from Knicks)

Pacôme Dadiet (from Knicks)

Ariel Hukporti (from Knicks)

$4 million trade exception (Dwight Powell)

Knicks get:

Anthony Davis (from Mavericks)

Jaden Hardy (from Mavericks)

Brandon Williams (from Mavericks)

Dante Exum (from Mavericks)

Rights to Vanja Marinković (No. 60 in 2019, via the Brooklyn Nets)

$2.8 million trade exception (Dadiet)

$2.2 million trade exception (Kolek)

Nets get:

Dwight Powell (from Mavericks)

$5 million (from Mavericks)

2027 second-round pick (from Knicks)”

This trade would definitely make the Knicks more formidable. Anthony Davis is a clear upgrade over Karl-Anthony Towns, and they wouldn’t need to give up many more key pieces to get him. That is also the problem with this trade idea. With no elite young players or draft capital going to the Mavericks, they have very little incentive to make a deal like this. If Anthony Davis is going to get traded, expect a different-looking return than this.