New York Knicks: Five times trades for star players were made

Knicks trade for Earl “The Pearl” Monroe

New York Knicks trade: Mike Riordan, Dave Stallworth and cash

Baltimore Bullets trade: Earl Monroe

On Nov. 10, 1971, the New York Knicks acquired another would-be franchise icon to join their star-studded teams of the ’70s. Earl “The Pearl” Monroe joined the aforementioned names in an early-season blockbuster trade for Mike Riordan, Dave Stallworth and cash.

Monroe was a dynamic player for the Baltimore Bullets in the late ’60s and early ’70s, making two All-Star teams and topping out at 25.8 points per game in just his second season.

In just Monroe’s second season in New York, he captured an NBA championship with the 1972-73 squad. Maybe the deepest Knicks team ever, they won 57 games and defeated the Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West-led Los Angeles Lakers.

After that, Monroe rode out the rest of his career with the Knickerbockers, finishing with 16.1 points on 47.8 percent shooting in his parts of nine seasons with them. He made two All-Star teams and even entered the Hall of Fame in 1990.

Riordan found some success after the trade, crossing double-digit points per game in three consecutive seasons, and the only times he did so in 10 seasons. Though he dropped out of the league at age 31.

Stallworth only played parts of four seasons after the deal, including one last stint with the Knicks. He last played in 1974-75.

So the deal worked out well for the Knicks. Their success in the late ’60s and early ’70s were highlighted by these trades to impact title-caliber rosters, and they helped shape part of this organization’s legacy.