New York Knicks owner James Dolan made an appearance on Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart’s podcast “The Roommates Show.” The appearance was unprecedented given the rarity that Dolan makes public appearances.
Knicks owner James Dolan reveals a near-trade for Vince Carter
Brunson, the Knicks’ current point guard and team captain, asked Dolan if there was a trade that he almost completed but fell through. Dolan then responded by revealing that he nearly traded for eight-time All-Star and eventual Hall of Famer Vince Carter during his prime.
“We were going to do the trade and the medical team came back and told us that [Carter] had a 90%-severed Achilles tendon,” Dolan responded on The Roommates Show. “They said that it would never hold up and once it ruptured he would never be the same player. For that reason, we didn’t do the trade.
Carter never ended up suffering a ruptured Achilles, and rather made four more All-Star teams after he was traded from the Toronto Raptors to the New Jersey Nets in 2004. The Hall of Famer also stayed healthy in all four seasons with New Jersey, including playing all 82 games in the 2006-07 season.
The Knicks and their fans will be left wondering what could have been
The Knicks, meanwhile, struggled throughout the 2000s and were never truly competitive. Dolan will be left wondering what could have been if he had acquired Carter while in the middle of his prime. Carter’s electrifying dunks and lethal scoring ability would have lit up Madison Square Garden and brought some energy to a team that needed it.
The Knicks could have had themselves a future Hall of Famer during his best years, but injury concerns stopped them from pulling the trigger. Carter shut down any of those concerns, and now New York fans will wonder what could’ve been.