Report: Ed Davis, 2023 Second-Round Draft Picks Traded to Knicks by Jazz

Paul KasabianSenior ContributorNovember 19, 2020

Utah Jazz center Ed Davis (17) in the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

The Utah Jazz have agreed to trade big man Ed Davis to the New York Knicks on Thursday, per Tony Jones of The Athletic.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst and Adrian Wojnarowski later reported the Knicks will also receive a pair of second-round picks in the 2023 NBA draft.

Davis played just 28 contests last year in an injury-shortened campaign that finished with the 31-year-old averaging 1.8 points and 3.8 rebounds in 10.8 minutes per game. The 6'9" veteran out of UNC notably suffered a left MCL ailment and a fractured left fibula.

Davis inked a two-year, $10 million deal with Utah after a successful 2018-19 season with the Brooklyn Nets that featured him posting 5.8 points and 8.6 rebounds in 17.9 minutes per game as a reserve.

Mike Vorunkov of The Athletic offered a quick take on the move from New York's perspective:

Mike Vorkunov @MikeVorkunov
Ed Davis is known as a consummate teammate. @outsidethenba wrote a really nice story about how much he's liked and respected league wide. A good veteran to help the young Knicks and will make just $5 million next season. https://t.co/GPpUEA1Tfi https://t.co/3tDGfOQa3J

Jones and Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune provided some from Utah's side:

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Tony Jones @Tjonesonthenba
The Jazz moving Davis to New York is a move designed to free up flexibility for roster building going forward, according to league sources

Andy Larsen @andyblarsen
My guess is that the Ed Davis deal is a salary dump, a pick will be going out, and it's either Louis Labeyrie, Ognjen Jaramaz, or Yusuf Sanon coming back — those are the guys the Knicks still have the draft rights to. But we'll see!

Davis joins a Knicks team under new leadership with president Leon Rose and head coach Tom Thibodeau.

New York is amid a heavy rebuilding process that has included an overhaul of its frontcourt.

Power forwards Taj Gibson and Bobby Portis are out, per Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic. Forward Obi Toppin and center Daniel Oturu are in after heading to New York on draft night.

Forwards Julius Randle and Kevin Knox and center Mitchell Robinson are still on the roster.

Davis figures to play a reserve role for the Knicks to help round out the frontcourt rotation and provide 10-15 minutes per game.

It's a low-risk, potentially high-reward move for the Knicks, whose books are still nearly completely barren for the summer of 2021, when a host of superstars (e.g. two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard) have the option to become free agents.

Davis would also be a steal if he's able to replicate his 2018-19 form the last time he played ball in New York City.

As for this offseason, free-agency negotiations can begin Friday, and the NBA season starts on Dec. 22.