Anthony Davis to the New York Knicks? While it may have originally been considered a long shot, Shams Charania of The Athletic is reporting that the Knicks offered the New Orleans Pelicans a package centered around Kristaps Porzingis in exchange for Davis. Of course, the Knicks ended up moving on rather quickly from Porzingis after the Latvian big man met with the front office on Thursday. Just hours after that meeting, the Knicks traded Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr., Courtney Lee and Trey Burke in exchange for Dennis Smith Jr., DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews and two future first-round picks. After months of speculation, Davis told his teammates and the front office that he wants out of New Orleans, a decision that comes as little surprise with the Pelicans floundering in the crowded Western Conference ahead of Saturday's matchup with the Spurs (8:30 p.m. ET -- Watch on FuboTV). All along, the front-runners to save Davis from the morass in the Big Easy have been the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics. The Knicks clearly don't have the same pieces to deal New Orleans for Davis, and it's probably not wise to put the Knicks at the forefront of these discussions. However, anything is possible so we'll need to wait and see what happens next in this Anthony Davis trade rumor circus.<doc-sep>Jonathan Bachman/Associated Press The New York Knicks reportedly explored including Kristaps Porzingis in a trade for New Orleans Pelicans big man Anthony Davis, but the Western Conference team was not interested in that move. A source told ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne (h/t colleague Tim MacMahon) that New Orleans was not sure if he would remain with the team long-term, seeing how Porzingis can become a restricted free agent after this season. Instead, the Knicks announced Thursday they traded Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr., Trey Burke and Courtney Lee to Dallas for DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews, Dennis Smith Jr. and two future first-round draft picks. This comes after Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com reported that Davis' agent, Rich Paul, informed the Pelicans his client does not want to sign long-term with the team and preferred to be traded. Davis can become a free agent following the 2019-20 season and has a player option for 2020-21. Davis was also fined $50,000 for his representative making a public trade demand while he was still under contract. Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported the Knicks were among the teams preparing to make New Orleans an offer in the aftermath of that news, and he pointed to Porzingis, Kevin Knox and the potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft as possible trade chips. However, the Pelicans clearly didn't value Porzingis enough to pull the trigger on any deal. MacMahon noted Dallas hopes to re-sign the 23-year-old, who averaged 22.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks a night while shooting 39.5 percent from three-point range in 48 games in 2017-18 prior to tearing his ACL. Video Play Button Videos you might like The Mavericks hope Luka Doncic and Dirk Nowitzki can help them in that regard. As for the Knicks, they will turn toward free agency and the upcoming draft as they attempt to build a contender after moving on from Porzingis and the contracts of Hardaway and Lee.<doc-sep>NBA agent Rich Paul informed the New Orleans Pelicans that Anthony Davis does not intend to extend his contract with the struggling franchise and has requested a trade. The Lakers and Celtics have long been seen as the frontrunners to land Davis, but ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported Monday that the New York Knicks could be a serious contender for the All-NBA forward and five-time All-Star's services. While Davis still has more than a year remaining on his current contract, the Pelicans have an incentive to get the best possible package for their star before he walks away. The Knicks may be able to offer a winning deal if they are willing to part ways with their 2019 NBA Draft first-round pick, which may hold the key to acquiring Duke stars Zion Williamson or RJ Barrett. The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers have been dominating the conversation to land superstar big man Anthony Davis for months, but a different marquee franchise may be jumping in on the action now that Davis has requested a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans. Read more: Anthony Davis tells Pelicans he wants to be traded In an appearance on ESPN's Get Up!, Brian Windhorst reported that the New York Knicks are "in the game" for Davis' services. "If I am the New York Knicks, I am convening a meeting this morning," Windhorst said. "Anthony Davis has some interest in playing for the Knicks. It's not Lakers or bust." Monday morning, Davis' agent, Rich Paul, informed New Orleans that the All-NBA forward and five-time All-Star does not intend to extend his contract with the struggling franchise and has requested a trade. Although Davis still has over a year remaining on his current contract, the Pelicans are now hard-pressed to get the best package for their star before he walks away. While the Lakers and Celtics have long been the frontrunners to land Davis, the Knicks have one thing that neither Los Angeles nor Boston can offer. "The New York Knicks need to decide whether they would be willing to make their No. 1 pick unprotected this year available," Windhorst said. "If they would, I believe they could put together a competitive offer that would help the Pelicans do a rebuild, and they could get their hands on Anthony Davis in the next 10 days." The Knicks may be willing to go all-in on Davis with the hopes that he'll sign an extension with the team and attract other big-name stars to Madison Square Garden. And according to Windhorst, New York may be one of a handful of cities where Davis would be willing to commit to long term. "It would be a huge decision, but I think New York would be one of the few teams Anthony Davis would be willing to sign an extension with," Windhorst said. "They are sort of the quiet lurker here. Yeah, the Lakers are going to make their offer, but boy I think the Knicks are in the game." The Knicks may be willing to go all-in on Davis with the hopes that he'll sign an extension with the team and attract other big-name stars to Madison Square Garden. And according to Windhorst, New York may be one of a handful of cities where Davis would be willing to commit to long term. "It would be a huge decision, but I think New York would be one of the few teams Anthony Davis would be willing to sign an extension with," Windhorst said. "They are sort of the quiet lurker here. Yeah, the Lakers are going to make their offer, but boy I think the Knicks are in the game." The Pelicans may choose to deal Davis away before the February 7 trade deadline, but doing so would prevent the Celtics from getting involved in trade discussions. League rules prevent NBA franchises from adding two players who signed designated player extensions to the same roster, and both Davis and star point guard Kyrie Irving are currently on "Rose rule extensions." The Lakers, meanwhile, would love to pair Davis with LeBron James but may not have enough young pieces to entice New Orleans into an early trade. With an abysmal 10-38 record on the season, the Knicks are widely expected to have one of the top picks in the 2019 NBA Draft. With New York in play for Duke stars Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett, the Pelicans could wind up with a future superstar and their choice of the many young players who are currently with the Knicks. Players like 2018 first-round pick Kevin Knox and 2017 first-round pick Frank Ntilikina could make for solid trade bait for a franchise looking to rebuild. Likewise, Allonzo Trier, Luke Kornet, and Mitchell Robinson are all under-the-radar first-year players brimming with potential. On top of that, New York recently placed Tim Hardaway Jr., Courtney Lee, and Enes Kanter on the trading block.<doc-sep>
The New York Knicks were expected to be aggressive in pursuit of New Orleans Pelicans star Anthony Davis before trading Kristaps Porzingis. While the Latvian-born big man was offered to the Pelicans before he was moved to the Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans was reportedly not interested in such a deal. However, it’s possible that the Knicks could still pull off a blockbuster transaction. According to Shams Charania, the Los Angeles Lakers remain the top destination for Davis. However, New York is also a “preferred landing spot” for the six-time All-Star. Now without Porzingis, the front office could try offering a new package that would give the Pelicans young pieces and draft picks. Kevin Pelton looked at what it might take to trade for Davis and provided some interesting details (via ESPN): “The Knicks would have to send back $21.6 million in salary, and as noted earlier that’s more than all their currently guaranteed 2019-20 contracts combined. Realistically, this year’s pick would have to be part of any Davis trade, and New York could use the same strategy as the Cleveland Cavaliers did with Andrew Wiggins in 2014 by signing the pick first and subsequently trading him 30 days later when his salary counts for matching purposes.” The Knicks could package their Top 5 pick alongside some combination of Kevin Knox, Frank Ntilikina, Dennis Smith Jr., Mitchell Robinson, Allonzo Trier and Damyean Dotson to create a trade for Davis. They would likely have to include the future first-round picks they just acquired in exchange for Porzingis, according to Pelton. It’s worth considering that the Knicks, now with Knox, Smith, future space and the two extra firsts, are much better positioned to trade for a star, not just sign one. Free agency not the only pathway… — Jeremy Woo (@JeremyWoo) February 1, 2019 It would be hard to find a better deal that allows New Orleans to rebuild around young talent and picks, especially if the Knicks land the top overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. Suddenly, the Pelicans’ future could include Zion Williamson and a trio of recent Top 10 picks on controlled contracts with Knox, Smith and Ntilikina. While it still seems unlikely that Davis will end up in New York, perhaps New Orleans is more interested in a package with several young prospects and first-round picks than they were in Porzingis. It hurt to rip off the band-aid and trade the 7-foot-3 big man, they now have the necessary cap space to land two superstar free agents or potentially the assets to trade for one.