The New York Knicks were relatively quiet at this year’s trade deadline, but the Los Angeles Lakers were the exact opposite. They stunningly pulled off a trade with the Dallas Mavericks to acquire superstar Luka Doncic in exchange for Anthony Davis, which shocked the entire basketball world.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks believes the Knicks could have acquired Luka Doncic
Doncic was a player who seemed to be untouchable thanks to his youth and superstar status. It’s not often that a superstar on a winning team gets moved at the deadline, but the Lakers managed to do it and are now set to go on a deep run with him and LeBron James.
As for the Knicks, their starting five is already one of the best in the NBA. Led by two All-Stars in Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, New York has had a very successful season and is poised to also make a deep run in the Eastern Conference.
However, despite their high level of talent, the Knicks are likely still missing one more superstar piece to make them a truly fearsome squad. ESPN’s Bobby Marks said that New York could have offered Towns and a first-round pick to bring Doncic to the Big Apple if they wanted to.
“Doncic and Jalen Brunson, reunited in New York. To get there, Dallas would need to accept a lesser package than what was sent in the actual deal from the Lakers. New York has only one first-round pick they can trade (and that might be conveyed) and are top-heavy in contracts,” Marks wrote. “The Knicks could alter the trade, removing Towns and replacing him with a combination of Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart.”
The Knicks would have made a risky trade moving Towns
Trading Towns in the middle of his best season and his first in New York may have been a wild move, but it may have been a worthwhile one to bring in Doncic. The 25-year-old is a perennial MVP candidate and is arguably a top-5 player in the NBA, and he could have elevated the Knicks’ title odds this season.
The downside to trading Towns is that the Knicks are incredibly thin in the frontcourt, which has been a problem for them all season. While Brunson and Doncic would’ve been a lethal pairing, the Knicks might have risked giving up too much to bring him in.
The Knicks will likely be chasing another star this summer, whether it be Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, or any other available star. Doncic in New York would have been a dream, but it ultimately will not end up being a reality for now.