Knicks: Revisiting the Kyle Lowry trade that never happened

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 01: Kyle Lowry #7 of the Toronto Raptors controls the ball during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers at The Arena in the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 1, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ashley Landis - Pool/Getty Images)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 01: Kyle Lowry #7 of the Toronto Raptors controls the ball during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers at The Arena in the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 1, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ashley Landis - Pool/Getty Images)
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Kyle Lowry
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 08: Kyle Lowry #7 of the Toronto Raptors stands for the National Anthem prior to the start of an NBA basketball game (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Remember when the New York Knicks almost traded for Kyle Lowry?


As NBA fans watched Kyle Lowry carve up the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night, I couldn’t stop myself from the terrible habit of thinking back to the time when the New York Knicks almost traded for the star point guard.

I know, I know, it’s in the past now. And lord knows the Villanova product probably wouldn’t have turned into the player he is today within a Knicks organization that has had the constant presence of Steve Mills (remember, he is still on the MSG Board) instead of Masai Ujiri.

That said, as the Knicks continue to search for that elusive point guard, it’s hard not to think back to the one time owner James Dolan showed caution in trading away future first round picks.

Perhaps recent history would have looked a lot different had the Knicks acquired Lowry just before he turned into a star player. But other than glimpses of him having a breakout season during his contract year in 2013 when negotiations on a potential trade were being had, there was no way of knowing he would become the player that he is today.

Instead of hanging our collective heads in shame as Knicks fans every time Lowry pops into the NBA headlines, let’s consider the details of the trade that never happened.