In 2016-17, the New York Knicks posted a 31-51 record and missed the playoffs for the fourth straight year. Another disappointing season didn't keep one of the NBA's top point guards from listing the team on his trade wishlist, though.
Ironically enough, the Cavaliers finished with a 51-31 record that same season, the exact opposite of the Knicks. Cleveland made it to the NBA Finals for the third straight year but came up short to Golden State. Kyrie Irving averaged a then career-high 25.2 points per game on 47.3% shooting from the field and 40.1% from three. Behind LeBron James (26.4 points per game), Irving was the team's second-leading scorer.
Even with that success, 2016-17 was Irving's final season with the Cavaliers. A fallout with LeBron contributed to the point guard requesting a trade that offseason. Irving has since said he regrets how things ended, especially because Cleveland could've won another title (or more) with that duo.
Irving was eventually dealt to the Celtics, although they weren't on his trade destination list. Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer recently reported that the Knicks, Spurs, Timberwolves, and Heat were the teams the point guard wanted to go to. His agent told Cleveland that he didn't want to go to Boston.
Kyrie Irving listed Knicks on his trade destination wishlist in 2017
Believe it or not, but in 2017, Irving seemingly would've been happy with a trade to New York. Maybe the front office wouldn't have traded Carmelo Anthony to Oklahoma City that September if the Knicks traded for Kyrie. How different would things have been?
Irving's stint in Boston didn't go as planned, so much so that the Knicks and Celtics engaged in trade talks in 2019 that would've sent Kristaps Porzingis to Boston and Irving to New York. Irving could've been a Knick on two occasions before 2019 free agency. It's bewildering that he chose Brooklyn over New York when he had the choice. Look how that worked out for him.
After a couple of unsuccessful stops, Kyrie has found a home in Dallas. He's returning to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2017 when he was in Cleveland. Would he have ended New York's finals drought if he had been traded there in 2017? Or if he had signed in 2019? Eh, probably not.
Things worked out for the best; if the Knicks had gotten Kyrie, they might not have signed Jalen Brunson in 2022.