There are serious questions about what the future looks like for the Dallas Mavericks after the firing of Nico Harrison. There have been multiple conflicting reports on what the franchise plans to do with star big man Anthony Davis, and a trade is now looking like a more real possibility. With that, the New York Knicks could step up and make a historic deal for the former champion.
Writing for Bleacher Report, Eric Pincus offered a trade idea that sends Davis to the Knicks in a massive three-team deal. Though it is hard to fathom the Knicks making major changes to their current roster, the recent injury update to Jalen Brunson could mean change is coming.
“The question for interim leaders Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi is: Now what? Do they try to improve the squad for a postseason run or start a proper rebuild around 18-year-old rookie Cooper Flagg?” Pincus wrote. “As the first installment of a series attempting to fix the Mavericks, the following is a three-team trade idea—roping in the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets—that relocates Anthony Davis and starts the shift toward a new identity.”
Davis has missed a decent amount of time so far this season, but when healthy, he remains a top big man on both sides of the ball. In five appearances, the 32-year-old is averaging 20.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists on 52% shooting from the field.
Anthony Davis Knicks Trade Idea
Per Pincus, here is his trade idea that sends the All-NBA and All-Defensive star to The Big Apple:
Mavericks get: Karl-Anthony Towns, Guerschon Yabusele, Tyler Kolek, Pacôme Dadiet, Ariel Hukporti, $4 million trade exception (Dwight Powell)
Knicks get: Anthony Davis, Jaden Hardy, Brandon Williams, Dante Exum, Rights to Vanja Marinković (No. 60 in 2019, via the Brooklyn Nets), $2.8 million trade exception (Dadiet), $2.2 million trade exception (Kolek)
Nets get: Dwight Powell, $5 million, 2027 second-round pick (from Knicks)
Assuming Pincus’ idea works in the NBA trade machine, this deal would change the landscape of the league, as was the case when Davis was sent to the Mavericks for Luka Doncic in February. Though this pitch came before the recent injury news of Brunson, his reasoning behind the idea comes from the fact that both the Knicks and Mavericks have shown a willingness to make brazen moves in the past.
Dallas would want a full refresh with Cooper Flagg and some other young talent, and while this trade doesn’t bring in a ton of that, they would move on from Davis in what appears to be a failed experiment.
For New York, Brunson and Towns were named by B/R as being one of the top duos that might need to breakup, and though they have strong wing defenders, Davis is a massive upgrade from Towns when it comes to paint defense and rim-protection.
This deal would by no means come easy, and would drastically change the futures of both teams. However, as Pincus wrote, change might not hurt either franchise.
“The reality is that there’s no Dončić-level return on the horizon for Davis…That’s the risk Harrison took that ultimately cost him his job,” he wrote. “The risk for New York is Davis’ health, but if the team can successfully manage his minutes, the Knicks could be more formidable in the postseason with the defensive upgrade.”
Problems Arising In New York
It’s hard to fathom a trade like this, specifically from the Knicks side, but as we’ve seen, no potential deal is out of the question in the NBA. However, up until they do make a move, or if another team makes a run at Davis, New York has a few other issues to worry about.
Again writing for Bleacher Report, Dan Favale highlighted multiple aspects of the Knicks that need to be fixed if they want to be true title contenders in the East. They are 7-4 and third in the East, but the Brunson injury, lingering Towns questions, and subpar performances from the bench are all signs that this team isn’t living up to the hype.
“Despite what many of the stats will show, the offense has struggled against elite competition,” Favale wrote on the team. “Some of their worst performances also came earlier in the schedule, when head coach Mike Brown‘s system was still fresh. To that end, his system remains fresh. Learning curves are part and parcel of what the Knicks are attempting to do. Even so, they have a handful of adjustments that are already worth considering—if not outright implementing.”
He then pointed out the Knicks’ pace, Towns’ forcing shots on offense, a lack of using the team’s best lineup, the need to ‘get weirder’ with Brunson’s minutes, and a lack of following Brown’s style, as areas in which the team needs to improve.
Yet still, New York ranks fourth in net rating and third in offensive rating, good signs for a team that received a heap of suggestions from Favale.
The Brunson injury is a completely different issue, and until he returns, the team likely won’t look anything close to its peak.
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