Bill Simmons has absurd belief Knicks will pursue Anthony Davis during offseason
Ah, just what the New York Knicks need, another veteran injury-prone player. That’s what The Ringer’s Bill Simmons believes, at least. He thinks that the Knicks will go after Anthony Davis during the offseason.
If that were to happen, that’d be something that fans didn’t expect. Players like Donovan Mitchell and Jalen Brunson have been thrown around, but not Davis.
The Lakers haven’t made Davis available in trade talks, but something needs to change within that organization after the year that they just had.
The bigger question is – what’s the likelihood of New York trading for Davis? The Knicks would have to blow things up on their end to have a shot to take on his remaining five-year, $189.9 million contract.
Bill Simmons thinks that the New York Knicks will overpay for Anthony Davis.
First off, if the Knicks were to pursue Davis in trade talks, it’d mean that Mitchell Robinson would certainly be signing elsewhere. New York’s current starting center will become an unrestricted free agent at the beginning of July if the Knicks don’t re-sign him to an extension.
Behind Robinson are Nerlens Noel and Jericho Sims. Out of those two back-ups, Sims has the more promising future. Noel played in a total of 25 games this season after he re-signed with the team on a three-year, $32 million deal last August. Like Davis, Noel missed the majority of the year because of an injury.
Even with Davis’ high price and the Knicks’ non-pressing need to go after an expensive center, Simmons thinks that New York is poised to go after the 2020 NBA Champion.
On an episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast that was released on Apr. 4, he attempted to explain his beliefs about why this will happen. He said:
"“I think the Knicks would overpay for him. I think the Knicks are ready to dive in this summer. That’s my take.”"
There wasn’t any traction behind his statement, but instead, it’s something that he feels will happen. Hopefully, it won’t take place. The Knicks are the Knicks, though, so it’s something to be worried about as a fan.
The scariest part of Simmons’ perceived plan is that New York would have to give up sizable talent in a possible trade. Losing RJ Barrett isn’t worth gaining Davis.
Without a doubt, the biggest red flag about Davis is that he’s played in a combined 76 games over the past two seasons in Los Angeles. This year, he averaged 23.2 points and 9.9 rebounds while shooting 53.2% from the field in 40 games. That’s not even half a season.
If Robinson does leave this summer, the Knicks should sign a free agent center (for a lot cheaper than it’d cost to trade for Davis) and increase Sims’ minutes. That’s a much better plan than trading for someone who will likely spend more time on the sideline than the court.
