If the Los Angeles Lakers decide to move All-Star center Anthony Davis, one NBA general manager believes the New York Knicks would be the best trade partner, according to Heavy Sports' Sean Deveney.
“You need a team that's willing to take his money, because it's a lot of money, and you need a team that's willing to give you a lot of draft picks,” the NBA general manager told Deveney.
“There's really one team that ticks all of those boxes, and that's the Knicks,” the GM continued. “It's not hard to get a deal done there. You can line up salaries, you can package a bunch of picks, you can bring in young players, salaries that the Lakers might not want. So he's a player who can get a lot out of it.”
Davis, 31, has been with the Lakers since 2019, appearing in 75 games this season and averaging 24.6 points and 12.7 rebounds.
The nine-time All-Star is owed a base salary of $43.2 million for the 2024-25 season before a three-year extension worth $62 million per year begins.
This max extension was intended to keep Davis in Los Angeles until 2028, setting a record for the highest average annual value in NBA history.
In 2019, the Lakers traded Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart for three first-round picks to acquire Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans. At the time, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski described the trade as “one of the biggest single returns.” He is a star player in modern league history. ”
After five years and three All-Star games for Davis, Los Angeles is likely looking for a new package with both a draft pick and an NBA player.
The Knicks are in a position to meet that demand, as they own their own first-round pick in the 2024 draft as well as protected picks from the Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards. .
The Wizards and Pistons' picks are likely too heavily protected to be rewarded this offseason. They could also be valuable for the Lakers in the future if the team needs to plan a rebuild, especially considering the uncertainty surrounding whether LeBron James will return for the 2024-25 season. There is.
The Knicks could also package another All-Star starter like Julius Randle in a trade for Davis. A team executive in the NBA's Western Conference told Deveney the Knicks needed to include Randle in a trade for “another star.”
Randle has two seasons left on his contract with the Knicks, including a $29.5 million player option. He started 46 games this season and averaged 24 points per game.
Randle underwent shoulder surgery in April, which ruled him out of the postseason. The Knicks could find Davis, coming off his best season since 2018, an attractive replacement, even if it means earning extra pay.
