3 Franchise-changing trade targets Knicks should have their eyes on
Luka Doncic
Before you say that this is clickbait or that I am a lunatic, let me just say two things: The first is that this is a list of guys that Leon Rose is probably monitoring that COULD become available for the Knicks in some facet, and the second is that I’m a lunatic.
It is no secret that Dallas has struggled to pair Doncic with a second star. The Kristaps Porzingis experiment failed the Mavericks even worse than it failed the Knicks… at least we got SOME value back for KP. The Mavs traded Porzingis to the Washington Wizards for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans… ouch.
The Mavs made a great trade for Christian Wood, which will certainly be interesting to watch play out. For some reason, they are hesitant to start Wood despite him being a double-double machine and a good defender.
There is a world where Luka gets sick of having to carry a horrendous Mavericks team that only looks good because of his magic. The Mavs have a record of 22-25 without Doncic throughout his five-year NBA career and last season, they posted an 8-9 record without Doncic. Suffice to say, Dallas needs Doncic to win.
Luka is not alone out there. Dallas is a team full of role players, but without any other star power, it is hard to imagine the Mavs ever breaking through to the NBA Finals. It does not make sense to trade him, as getting the franchise piece is much easier than a second star, especially when Luka is that first star.
I do have a theory that Leon is seriously eyeing Luka, though. There will come a point where Luka is fed up, and Leon will be willing to dump anything the Mavs ask for. If I had to guess, it would be essentially all the young players and upwards of eight picks that would mostly be unprotected.
Doncic would have the highest trade cost ever, and rightfully so. If the Knicks were to trade for Luka, they would instantly become the top destination for free agents. Luka makes basketball easier and makes everyone around him look better, and this is super enticing to all players.
I do seriously believe that Leon Rose is closely monitoring the situation that Doncic is in as Dallas does not need to put much around him to contend for an NBA championship, yet they are still failing. For the last time, I do not think this is going to happen per se, but I do strongly believe that Rose has some sort of handle on what’s going on in Dallas right now.
The Knicks have been starved of a big-name player and have never once in their franchise history had the best player in the NBA… Doncic will one day most likely be the NBA’s best player, and his value will only grow. The Knicks have the second most assets in the league, so let’s see if they can use them properly.
