The New York Knicks are one of Anthony Davis‘ preferred destinations, according to recent Pelicans rumors. However, they might not have enough to offer the New Orleans Pelicans without a third team.
Anthony Davis could be traded away from the New Orleans Pelicans literally any day now. Pelicans rumors are ramping up exponentially as we approach the NBA Draft, which is apparently the soft deadline David Griffin appears to be giving himself in order to get a deal done.
It's no surprise the Pelicans want a trade done before the draft, as @wojespn reported.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) June 10, 2019
David Griffin and crew want to know what they are working with entering the draft, not as it unfolds and certainly not after the draft is over.
The NBA Draft is on June 20th, which gives the New Orleans Pelicans a meager 9 days to get something figured out if they’re serious about hitting that goal. As it stands, Anthony Davis is holding firm to his desire to end up with the Los Angeles Lakers, but he’s now letting everyone know that the New York Knicks would be a preferred location as well.
On The Athletic (subscription required), Shams Charania has reported on this very thing:
Sources: Anthony Davis has focused on the Lakers and Knicks as the two desired long-term destinations. @TheAthleticNBA story on that and more: https://t.co/GDUbiD4BgH
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 10, 2019
AD wanting to potentially be a Knick is all well and good, but it just doesn’t seem likely that they have enough assets by themselves to get a deal done. Their two most exciting young prospects are arguably Kevin Knox and Mitchell Robinson, but despite scouting Knox several weeks ago, the Pelicans now seem disinterested in the rookie wing.
Essentially, that boils down to New York’s #3 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft being the only truly worthwhile asset they can offer up for Anthony Davis. Make no mistake, this is a valuable pick, and it would be awesome to see the Pelicans acquire it to draft RJ Barrett and reunite him with Zion Williamson, but that pick alone doesn’t satisfy David Griffin’s desired return for AD.
Griffin wants an All-Star, a young player with star potential, and two first rounders in exchange for Anthony Davis. The New York Knicks do not possess all of these things by themselves. If AD wants to switch from the Big Easy to the Big Apple, the Knicks will need to get creative and involve a third team in order to create a package that’s enticing enough for the Pelicans’ front office.
For Knicks fans, you shouldn’t lose hope. Anthony Davis wants to be on your team, so hopefully your front office figures out how to acquire whatever is needed in order to lock up The Brow longterm. For New Orleans Pelicans fans, trust that this now loaded front office will sift through offers from anyone and everyone in order to set the team up for a long, long time, whether or not that involves the Knicks. We’ll keep tabs on all the Pelicans rumors along the way.