Knicks: The team’s best trade offer for dunk champion Zach LaVine
By Allen Settle
The Fit
Zach LaVine would be a nearly perfect trade candidate for the Knicks. While the team seems determined not to part ways with future draft capital, the shooting guard should be noticeably less costly than other established All-Stars.
Players like James Harden, DeMar DeRozan, LaMarcus Aldridge, or Victor Oladipo would each make a massive impact in New York. However, each would also require parting with a massive combination of young talent and picks.
LaVine is a career 17.7 points per game scorer. Most recently, he has averaged 23.7 points per game in 2018-2019 and a career-high 25.5 in 2019-2020. He is a legitimate scoring threat who is capable of producing against competitor’s top defenders. He is also a dynamic scorer who boasts both a dangerous outside shot (he is a 37% career shooter from three-point range) and the ability to attack the basket.
In addition to his scoring skills, LaVine is also a household name. Despite never making an All-Star team, the former lottery pick cemented his star reputation has an all-time great contestant in the annual Slam Dunk contest. The two-time champ is one of the league’s most graceful and fierce finishers above the rim.
If New York is indeed interested in acquiring a star without playing a king’s ransom, a player like LaVine could be an ideal middle-ground. The 25-year-old is also young enough to fit within the same timeline as the rest of the Knicks’ young core.