The Knicks (along with the Cavs and Suns) have the best chance at landing the No. 1 overall pick in this summer’s draft and the rights to draft Zion Williamson. But, as good of a prospect as Williamson is, he still hasn’t played a minute in the NBA, and as a result, the Pelicans’ would still want a package surrounding Williamson should the Knicks seek a trade for All-Star big man Anthony Davis, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post.
New Orleans’ new head of basketball operations David Griffin plans to meet with Davis to discuss him staying in The Big Easy, but reports suggest Davis still wants to leave. If the Knicks are serious about a potential trade for Davis, some reports suggest it may take Williamson (making Tuesday’s lottery all the more important), Kevin Knox, and Mitchell Robinson to get a deal done.
Another possibility that would cost the Knicks even more (per ESPN’s Bobby Marks) would be Williamson, Knox, Frank Ntilikina, and Dallas’ two future first-round picks that the Mavericks traded to New York in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis.
Either deal may seem like quite a haul for just one player, even one as good as Davis, but an interesting dynamic comes into play if the Knicks are able to lure Warriors’ forward Kevin Durant away in free agency. Durant, now 30, and likely to be seeking more championships wherever he signs this summer, would all but assuredly prefer Davis over Williamson at this stage in both of their careers.
If Williamson is drafted by the Knicks, Durant could push the issue of New York trading Zion for Davis, regardless of the cost. Williamson may have generational talent, but the Knicks are reportedly unsure whether he will ever rise to the stratosphere of LeBron James (or Davis, for that matter), the superstar to whom the 18-year-old phenom is most often compared, so Durant’s preference could be an important factor.
Not worth Zion Robinson and more
If he signs long term he is absolutely worth them and more!
He’s made of glass and runs like a giraffe on stilts.
Agree 100% !!!
They’d be better off keeping Zion.
Wouldn’t do Zion straight up
That’s just too much. I’ll roll with Zion and sign two max players and continue to build it the right way
What if those max players are Kemba Walker and Khris Middleton? Or even worse?
I’ll take Kemba any day.
Then they’d still be smart to keep Zion
craziness! the media is already saying zion wont be the next lebron and the knicks havent even got the 1st pick yet! giving them all that for kd is crazy…at best kd has 5 great years left…Ad and kd would be terrific but youll have no bench or others….why not keep zion if we get him , sign 2 max players even if its not kd and kryrie and roll with them along with robinson, knoxx and smith jr?
What’s more ridiculous? Saying he WON’t be the next Lebron or saying that he will?
Saying he will be is more ridic.
Zions not even close to being as nimble and fluent as Bron.
That said, there’s no one really comparable to Zion. He will be a unique player.
What “2 max player” are going to sign there just to play with a bunch of young guys?
The Knicks are better off signing a bunch of younger vet free agents to short term deals and let the Knicks young core grow. Milwaukee and Philly will run the East for the next 4-5 years anyways…
Haha Philly really?
Not Milwaukee?
Why would the Pels want any Knicks players? NY won 17 games this season.
They don’t have much of a choice. You want the Lakers guys? How about Jason Tatum and a flop like Jaylen Brown?
How in the world is he playing GM? No one even asked him a question let alone him providing an answer. People are offering their opinion about what his preferences MIGHT be. He isn’t even a member of the Knicks let alone influencing anything they do. Besides, if he’s considering joining ANY team why would it be wrong for him to have an opinion and offer it if asked? He is likely signing the last contract in which he’ll be performing at such a high level.
I also think Knox has huge potential. Not elite but close to it.
Think he’ll be a star in a few years.
So now Durant gets to play GM? What happened when players played and owners let GM’s do the player picking. So sick of the Prima Donna players.
“Get this guy and that guy or else I don’t sign here.”
Simple.
How in the world is he playing GM? No one even asked him a question let alone him providing an answer. People are offering their opinion about what his preferences MIGHT be. He isn’t even a member of the Knicks let alone influencing anything they do. Besides, if he’s considering joining ANY team why would it be wrong for him to have an opinion and offer it if asked? He is likely signing the last contract in which he’ll be performing at such a high level.
I really hope the knicks fall to 5 in the draft and can’t even land a meeting with the top FAs. Sorry knicks fans, but the team just doesn’t seem to have a clue what it’s doing and I would hate to see that play out with good players and all the media that comes with it.
Well obviously they do know what they’re doing if they’re in position for #1 and have 2 max slots, while having some intruiging players on the roster.
jp23
I’m a Knicks fan too, but Zion isn’t a guarantee. He’s high-light real but in the NBA, would his athleticism play up top him being a perennial all-star? I see a lot of Larry Johnson in him. Larry was more talent than multiple all-star on-court ability.
If Davis could be had in a sign-and-trade without giving up both of Knox and Robinson then I think I would have to do it.
I think more potential FA stars would prefer to play with Daivs for the next 4 years over Zion for the next 4 years. When healthy, Davis is an annual MVP candidate. How long would it take for Williamson to rise to that level? He’s not as NBA ready as Lebron was coming out of HS.
If the Knicks were to sign and trade for Davis, attract 1 true top tier FA and a solid mid-tier or quasi all-star type (Kemba, Barnes, Bledsoe, etc) and fill them with good role players (Rubio, Ariza, Reddick, Rose, etc) then I think the Knicks would have a good solid 50-55 win team.
Kemba will get a max deal. He’s not a mid-tier player.
Zion must be wishing he isn’t picked by the Knicks, I mean how much can they disrespect him, a generational talent, future MVP… & all that they talk is about trading him instead of building around him. SMH how awful can the Knicks be? If you pick someone like Zion, you keep him, don’t sign big names & build nice & slow with him… otherwise don’t pick him. Just hope Zion goes to a good & serious franchise like Atlanta, Dallas or Philly.
So you’ve got a player who is demanding to be traded. He will get a max contract. The Pelicans want the no. 1 pick and more number 1s and more players. And how many finals have the Pelicans been to? Who makes these articles up?
cesc, anyone who lands him will have an eye on a trade for AD if they believe they can re-sign him, so Knicks are not disrespecting him any more or less than if the Lakers or Suns or Bulls landed him.
Super, I’m sure the Pels would rather have your disappointing second and third year youngsters over a stud on the cheap like Mitchell Robinson.
If I am the Knicks, i only make the trade if not much more than Zion and extra picks plus Frank and Lance Thomas (salary match) get it done. Trading away too many young pieces leaves the bench way short on the chance that they do land KD and Kyrie in FA. If they walk out of this with the big three and only two other younger players in tow, that leaves far too many bench spots for minimum level vets. While I submit that AD is a heck of a talent, I don’t like his ailing body and makeup enough to give up basically the whole future for him.
Thomas will be gone before June 30th if we plan to even try to sign 2 max FAs. Even if he remained, only 1 mm of his salary can be used in a match, unless they fully guarantee the balance.
Yes, don’t foget like I did, the Knicks do not have to salary-match unless FA signings, plus AD, plus players left, put them over the cap. They could keep Dotson, is about it, and players at the minimum. But what potential star power, KI+KD+AD!
It is also perhaps foolish, with a roster filled out with minimums, but Philly is seriously aiming for FOUR maxes.
Well keeping us entertained is the priority. The Lakers are doing their part. My Cavs aren’t going anywhere anyway.
To get all three, the Knicks would need to do a salary match trade to get AD and the trade couldn’t be completed until after the other 2 are signed.
Even if AD were the only player on the roster, they wouldn’t have the cap space to max both KD and KI. But they could max both KD and KI, and then trade for AD, and keep a few younger guys. Simple: AD takes up more cap space than the players the Knicks would need to hold onto to later match salary.
Knicks couldn’t do an AD trade until AFTER the draft and wouldn’t agree to one until after agreeing with the max FAs (if one is Durant). Simple as AD would eat up more cap space than the players remaining on their roster at the time of signing the FAs, although those remaining players are sufficient to trade for him.
At that point, I could see a Zion for AD swap. Since the stooges don’t know how to negotiate (except against themselves), it’s possible they just give the Pels everything they ask for upon any threat of losing the deal (like with Melo). But in terms of besting the best offer the Pels are likely to get, it really wouldn’t require much more than Zion from a basketball value perspective.
Of course, after tomorrow night, it’s likely the conversation changes. E.g., if Washington wins the 1st pick, Zion might as well walk on stage wearing a Wiz cap.
And switch to a Pels cap before he gets to Silver.
I guess the consensus is AD is traded on draft night. If I were the Knicks and I landed Zion, I would honestly take the risk and wait until FA begins and try to secure the two max players I want. KD or Kawhi + Jimmy/Kyrie/Kemba.
I don’t see that consensus. You’re right, wait to see where the whales swim before trading. AD would be a great lure for the Knicks but so would a first FA signing and someone will surely bite.
You need capspace to sign but not to trade.
The Knicks can’t do it on draft night (unless they give up on the 2 max FAs). They have to use their cap space on the FAs, then sign Zion and then do the trade.
A lot of discussions here about IF…If the Knicks are as lucky as they always are, they will get the number 5 pick!