The New York Knicks have a very talented roster, but it is clear that it is far from perfect. They may need to be aggressive before the trade deadline to address their biggest needs, particularly on the defensive side.
Knicks may check in on Anthony Davis if he is available
SNY’s Ian Begley reported that if he becomes available on the trade market, the Knicks could check in on Dallas Mavericks’ star big man Anthony Davis.
“This is stating the obvious, but I’m sure the Knicks would at least check in with Dallas if/when Anthony Davis becomes available. You may scoff at the idea, but the Knicks want to win a title this season. If Dallas is offering Davis at a below-market cost, I’m sure the Knicks will at least give the move some thought. But this, again, is stating the obvious. The Mavs will get calls from nearly all NBA teams if/when they make Davis available,” Begley wrote.
Davis is still one of the best defending bigs in the NBA, but health has been a major concern for him over the past year. Since being traded to the Mavericks back in February, Davis has played just 14 games with Dallas while dealing with a variety of injuries.
Davis could be a strong addition for the Knicks
As a result, the Mavericks are going in the wrong direction. They are just 5-13 this season and have fired their general manager, making it more likely that the Mavericks will abandon the Davis experiment before it can really begin.
For the Knicks, making a move for him would be cheaper than gutting the roster for Milwaukee Bucks’ superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, but it would likely still come at the cost of Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns has had a rough start to the season, putting his future with New York in doubt as they chase a championship this year.
Davis’ defense would be a great addition for New York, but the obvious injury risk makes a deal highly risky to make. Ultimately, it is still early in the season, so New York may not need to shake up most of their roster to bring in Davis, but if the opportunity is there, expect them to try to make a move.