As the NBA offseason looms closer, trade talks and speculations surrounding star player Anthony Davis have taken center stage. While Davis continues to shine for the Los Angeles Lakers, discussions about potential trade destinations are heating up, with the New York Knicks emerging as a prominent contender.
A recent post by an NBA Central social media account on X (formerly known as Twitter) sparked intrigue, quoting an anonymous NBA general manager’s perspective on a potential Anthony Davis trade to the Knicks.
“When you look at it, if you’re serious about trading Davis at some point, then you need to accomplish a few things. You have to get him somewhere he wants to be.
He wants to be a Laker. So if you trade him, you have to do right by him and send him to a good team in a good market; you don’t want to burn any bridges with Klutch Sports.
You need a team willing to take on his money. Because it’s a lot. And you need a team who can load you up with draft picks. There’s really one team that fits all of those, and that’s the Knicks. It would not be hard to make a deal work there. You can line up the salaries.
Trading Anthony Davis to the Knicks could be a viable option
You can package a ton of picks. You can throw in a young player. You can take on a salary the Lakers might not want. I mean, he is one player, and you can get a huge haul here,” the anonymous NBA general manager stated.
Anthony Davis has been a cornerstone player for the Lakers since 2019, showcasing his talents in 75 games this season with averages of 24.6 points and 12.7 rebounds. With a lucrative three-year contract worth $62 million annually, Davis’s base salary for the upcoming 2024-2025 season stands at $43.2 million.
In an effort to retain Davis until 2028, the Lakers extended a max contract offer, setting a new record for the highest average annual value in NBA history.
For the Lakers, considering a trade to rebuild the team with young players and additional draft picks, sending Anthony Davis to the Knicks presents a compelling option. However, the challenge lies in finding a contract that matches Davis’s value to the Lakers’ roster composition.
The prospect of Davis donning a Knicks jersey holds significant intrigue, potentially reshaping the future of the team and impacting the NBA landscape. As the season progresses, basketball enthusiasts will closely monitor these trade talks and their potential effects on the league’s competitiveness and the trajectory of its top players.
