Knicks trade deadline mock trade mailbag

The trade deadline is today, but you’d be excused if you think that the Knicks’ trade fireworks show has already had its grand finale. At this point, we’re just using up the sparklers and bottle rockets. But maybe there’s a Roman candle hidden down there at the bottom of the box.

There’s still some work that could be done by the Knickerbockers to try to secure some future assets today. Enes Kanter very publicly wants out (and may just get bought out), Noah Vonleh is a valuable piece that the Knicks will have a hard time retaining, and they have two vets on expiring contracts in Wesley Matthews and DeAndre Jordan that could potentially be shipped out to maximize the return on Kristaps Porzingis.

Let’s not drag on the intro... there’s a lot of trades to get to!

Anthony Davis trades

Of course, there was a lot of trades centered on Anthony Davis in this one, since he’s the shiniest bauble available to the Knicks. Apparently the Knicks, for some presumably Kevin Durant-shaped reason, are on equal footing with the Lakers on Davis’s list of preferred destinations.

From commenter knicksfan84

Knicks get: Anthony Davis

Kings get: Frank Ntilikina, Solomon Hill

Pelicans get: Kosta Koufos, Ben McLemore, Mario Hezonja, Kevin Knox, Mitchell Robinson, Emmanuel Mudiay, Damyean Dotson, Knicks’ 2019 first round pick, Mavs’ top-10 protected 2023 first round pick, Hornets 2021 second round pick

(The original deal had Zach Randolph going to the Pels, but he was just traded to the Mavs, so Koufos and McLemore work the same for salary purposes. Don’t forget that for later trades.)

Wow, this is a doooooozy. But I don’t hate it. This deal has to be assuming that, through back channels, you know that Kevin Durant (and maybe Kyrie Irving, too) are coming in free agency this summer. The Knicks effectively jet every young player worth anything in this deal plus their shot at Zion, but there’s an 86 percent chance that Zion doesn’t end up a Knick anyway.

You know what has 100 percent odds? Anthony Davis being a top-five player in the NBA. If and only if you have a commitment in-hand from another star or stars, this is a deal that should give you the cap room to still sign two other max stars to pair with AD. As the LeBron-era Heat taught us, when you have three generational talents on a team, that’s probably good enough for at least a title or two. Good, ring-less vets would sign up for that practically for free.

From commenter PG Kawhi

Knicks get: Anthony Davis

Pelicans get: Kevin Knox, Mitchell Robinson, Enes Kanter Knicks’ 2019 first round pick, Mavs’ top-10 protected 2023 first round pick

Kind of a stripped-down version of the last one, no? This one could work too, but limits your ability to sign a third star. That said, you get to hold onto Frank and see what he can become, as well as Damyean Dotson and his game that is tailor-made to play the role player on a star-studded roster.

By my count, the Knicks would lose about $10 million in cap space with this deal from their current $70-plus million. Maybe you talk Kyrie and Durant into paycuts? Maybe you scrap the Kyrie idea and throw a lesser deal at someone like Eric Bledsoe or Khris Middleton? The possibilities are kinda endless if you start off with fuckin’ Anthony Davis and Kevin Durant as your building blocks.

From commenter Moshe52792

Knicks get: Anthony Davis

Pelicans get: Enes Kanter, Lance Thomas

How high would the conspiracy have to go to get this one done? It would have to be all the way up to Adam Silver, right? There’s no way that the league would let this one go from a competitive balance standpoint.

I vote that we hire a team of hypnotists to make this one happen. If we pool our money, maybe we can get a magician too. And a bouncy house. We’ll have to keep Kanter occupied while the hypnotists do their work.

The other trades

OK, enough with the Anthony Davis stuff. Let’s get to the other trades.

From commenter Disappointment

Knicks get: Moooooooo... BAMBA

Magic get: Dennis Smith Jr., Hornets’ 2021 second round pick

Kinda quick to give up on DSJ so quickly, but the Knicks’ contemporary anthem on the Garden organ this year would finally meet its namesake.

Less than a year after drafting him sixth overall, it’s kinda weird to see the Magic already entertaining the idea of punting on Bamba. But perhaps their impatience could be the Knicks’ gain here, particularly since the Knicks were lightly linked to Bamba before the 2018 draft.

Bamba’s also a local kid. And at seven feet tall with a crazy 7-foot-8 wingspan, Bamba could be just what the doctor ordered for a post-Kristaps unicorn. He is shooting 30 percent on 3s this year!

From commenter MrcMtts

Knicks get: Jabari Parker, Lauri Markkanen, Bulls’ 2021 first round pick

Bulls get: Enes Kanter, Kevin Knox, Frank Ntilikina, Luke Kornet

This one’s obviously out the window now in real life with Parker going to the Wizards, but this is all just playing pretend anyway!

It’d weird me out a little to ship out both Frank and Knox (and Kornet!!) to get back a non-superstar, but I think you can make a real case that Markkanen has the easiest path to his theoretical ceiling of these guys. You want a prototypical Porzingis replacement, Markkanen’s kinda that dude.

From commenter alleyhoop_20

Knicks get: Furkan Korkmaz, 2019 Bulls second round pick

Sixers get: Noah Vonleh

I like this quite a bit. While Mr. Hoop didn’t initially suggest which of Philly’s second rounders would come to the Knicks here, I went for the best one. The Knicks had pretty good luck last year with their second-rounder from the Bulls:

From commenter Visions of future Shump

Knicks get: Jonah Bolden

Sixers get: Noah Vonleh

From commenter Knicked to the Curb

Knicks get: Amir Johnson, Chicago’s 2019 second round pick

Sixers get: Noah Vonleh

The Sixers seem to be a popular choice to send Vonleh to, as they should be now more than ever. Now that the Sixers sent out future assets to get Tobias Harris and go all-in on this season, they should be looking for players that can help get them over the top.

The Sixers will likely have to go through Giannis at some point if they hope to make a run at the Finals. You could argue that no one player has played Giannis better than Vonleh has this year. Make either of these trades and get either another young piece or a draft pick for a guy that you’re going to have a hard time keeping this offseason anyway. Sucks to trade Vonleh since he’s having a nice year, but it’s the smart business decision.

From Manti Python on Twitter

I’m calling the five second rule. Plus, I did just clean the floors two weeks ago. Still clean. Deal!

From commenter Moshe52792

Knicks get: Mad second rounders

Other teams get: Wes Matthews, Enes Kanter, DeAndre Jordan, Noah Vonleh, Emmanuel Mudiay, Mario Hezonja, Lance Thomas

You just might be onto something here.

From commenter Spike Lee’s Joint

Knicks get: Allen Crabbe, some sort of pick swap involving a second round pick

Nets get: Wesley Matthews

I don’t know if Spike Lee’s Joint knows this, but Allen Crabbe has a player option for $18+ million next year. That, and NEVER HELP SEAN MARKS. This trade gets a grade of:

From Ed Tsunoda on Twitter

Trading for Gordon Hayward’s giant contract and frying any hopes the Knicks have of signing two free agents (even getting two first rounders back) can also be summed up in gif form:

From danifluidity on Twitter

This is it, chief. A+ trade. Recreate the best season in recent Knicks history, but with the shitty old versions of themselves so the tank can persevere. It’d be like an 80s hair metal band touring in 2019.

From BugsySig on Twitter (also of the P&T comment section, I’m quite sure)

Switch out the recently-traded Muscala for the recently-acquired Boban Marjanovic, and this is a huge win. Imagine Enes Kanter was much taller, wasn’t corny, actually kinda played defense, and was likable. That’s Boban. Plus two second round picks? Yes, please.

From Joseph Zapata on Twitter

Shameless plug: listen to my breakdown of this one on Locked On Knicks, where I argue that MAYBE we could turn Solomon Hill into Anthony Davis if we trade for Davis’s left shoe, steal Davis’s right shoe, and have a whole Like Mike experience where we grant Hill AD’s powers.

From commenter DontDrinkFromDaHudson

Knicks get: The first overall pick

Adam Silver gets: An undisclosed amount of money from Dolan via a Swiss account under the name of a shell company in which he is on the board of directors.

The Knicks are apparently worth FOUR BILLION DOLLARS. You’re telling me Dolan can’t sell one of his yachts to get us Zion Williamson? Make this trade and bask in it — it makes Dolan less rich AND gets the Knicks a generational talent. Win-win.

From James Marceda

P&T receives: Jonathan Macri

Knicks Film School receives: Ashwin Ramnath AKA The Ghost of Kristaps Past

Great trade for P&T here. Get the best player by far. Clean up the filthy culture that Shwin’s potty mouth has created. Really just a home run on all counts.