The New York Knicks didn’t trade for three-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell over the summer, and now that the regular season has started, it’s even more evident that the team needs a star. New York still has its chest of first-round picks to make that happen. There could be a disgruntled star that wants out before the trade deadline in February, but there’s one star in particular that the front office should avoid at all costs.
This week, The Ringer’s Bill Simmons said on his podcast that there has been “some buzz” about Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis possibly becoming available in trade talks. According to Simmons, if the Lakers continue to lose, the 29-year-old could find himself on his third team since being drafted in 2012.
Los Angeles is one spot out of last place in the West with a 2-8 record, so if there’s any truth to what Simmons said, there seems to be a good chance that AD could be traded. Even with LeBron James, signs are pointing toward the Lakers missing the playoffs for the second straight season.
If Davis becomes available, Leon Rose and the front office shouldn’t show any signs of interest. AD is far from being the star that the Knicks need.
Knicks should not be interested in trading for Lakers’ Anthony Davis if he becomes available
The biggest concern with Anthony Davis is the fact that he’s injury-prone. In the Lakers’ previous two seasons, he’s played in a combined 76 regular season games. The most games that he’s played in a single season is 75, which he did in two consecutive seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans in 2016-17 and 2017-18.
The Knicks would undoubtedly have to give up a lot to get AD, who’s making $37.9 million this season and will make $40.6 million in 2023-24 before having a $43.2 million early termination option in 2024-25. To be blunt, trading for him wouldn’t be worth it. There’s no guarantee that he’d be available for even half of a season. Why should New York want to mortgage part of its future for a player that’s on a decline?
Davis achieved his goal of winning an NBA title with LA in his first season with the team in 2019-20, and since then, injuries have kept him off the court for the majority of the time. So far this season, he’s been a good interior defender for the Lakers, but he no longer has a jump shot. In the previous two seasons, he was the least efficient jump shooter in the league. That trend has carried over to the start of 2022-23.
Los Angeles may end up resorting to exploring an Anthony Davis trade depending on how the next few months play out, but New York’s front office has no reason to pick up the phone to inquire about his trade value. The Knicks would be better off missing the play-in tournament this season than they would be if they traded for AD. That’s the honest truth.
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