Knicks Trade Rumors: Top Buzz for New York Ahead of 2019 Deadline Day
The big franchise-altering move from the New York Knicks wasn't exactly what everyone saw coming.
Fans still have to deal with the fact the franchise shipped Kristaps Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks, but the good news is the move at least opens up some possibilities in the form of other possible massive moves.
Surely, the Knicks wouldn't make a huge move like that without some sort of plan in place, correct?
Thanks to the upcoming trade deadline and otherwise, the rumor market is alight with fallout from the trade and possible moves the Knicks might move, giving fans something to keep themselves occupied with in the wake of the sudden change.
Donovan Mitchell, De'Aaron Fox?
The Knicks seemingly had a good idea of what they wanted in return for their star.
Not that the actual trade package shows it much. They got back Wesley Matthews and DeAndre Jordan, along with Dennis Smith Jr., but it seems apparent thanks to the rumors market they have greater ambitions.
According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, they gunned after a pair of massive names: "They tried for untouchables such as Utah's Donovan Mitchell and Sacramento's De'Aaron Fox and, predictably, were rebuffed."
Donovan Mitchell was the 13th pick in 2017 and currently averages 22.5 points and 4.0 assists with the Utah Jazz and was an unlikely idea from the jump. De'Aaron Fox might have been a little more realistic, but the fifth pick in 2017 is blossoming this year with more minutes and averaging 17.5 points and 7.2 assists.
For comparison's sake, Smith, the ninth pick in 2017, put up 16.5 points and 6.0 assists over two games with the Knicks so far.
As Stein goes on to note, the Mavericks were always the likeliest trade partner because they had openly shown how much they liked Porzingis and had the assets capable of making a deal happen. That the star power forward tossed around hints he wanted a deal done by the deadline only seemed to accelerate the process.
DeAndre Jordan's Future
Smith was the real prize of the deal—right?
There is an air of uncertainty around such an idea because while someone like Jordan seems like a buyout candidate, that may not end up being how things play out.
Jordan could be a small chip in a much bigger move.
According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst on the Game Time podcast, Jordan might be sticking around (h/t Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype): "One thing I'll say about the Knicks: They're making it look like they intend to keep DeAndre Jordan. You can extrapolate this out: [He] has a relationship with Kevin Durant. Although I don't know how [the Knicks can retain the big man]. I mean, they can't keep him at any real number."
Granted, the second half there is a general connecting of the dots. But one can see why the Knicks might want to keep Jordan around for a few different reasons. He's only 30 years old and over 50 games and an average of 31.3 minutes with the Mavericks this season was still putting up 11.0 points and 13.7 rebounds per game on 64.4 percent shooting from the floor.
The bigger problem is money, as Jordan's cap hit next year could be massive, which could prevent the Knicks from signing two max players on the open market. Like the forming of other super teams lately, it would be interesting to see if the New York front office could convince the veteran center to stick around on a smaller deal while pursuing titles.
Because at the end of the day, it's all about making major splashes.
Anthony Davis
One of those big splashes could be the re-ignition of pursuing Anthony Davis.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com, the Knicks were shot down by the New Orleans Pelicans after offering a Porzingis-centered deal and the front office to this point has not even tried another attempt at Anthony Davis.
For now.
Things aren't going so well for other teams trying to make a move on Davis. The Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James seem like the obvious development, yet the same report said the Pelicans turned down a rich offer featuring Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, two first-round picks and more.
In other words, most teams won't have the ammo to get something done. Ramona Shelburne of ESPN painted a clear picture:
Yet according to the Wojnarowski report, the Knicks are on a limited list of teams including the Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers that Davis would actually re-sign with after making a move.
Should Davis force his hand in a stronger fashion this offseason and the Knicks are lucky enough to land a top draft slot, they might be able to force their way back into the discussions. It's hard to imagine Davis removes them from the list now, especially if the idea the Knicks could then pursue a max free agent continues to have legs.
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