Getty LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena.
Despite their constant hardships and lackluster campaigns since the turn of the century, the New York Knicks are still considered to be one of the most storied franchises in the NBA today.
Because of this lofty status, whenever there’s a high-profile name rumored to be on the move, even with their 17 losing campaigns over the last 22 years, New York always seems to be tabbed as a legitimate threat to land them.
We’ve seen numerous examples of this exact scenario already playing out this offseason, with the biggest name linked to the franchise obviously being Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell.
Frankly, it’s just an expected reality that the league’s largest market team is always going to find itself linked to star players looking for a change of scenery so, naturally, when The Ringer’s
Looking at the current state of the Lakers, O’Connor believes that there’s a very real possibility that James’ talents could wind up being wasted for a second consecutive season and, in turn, could force him to seek out greener pastures in an effort to secure a few more championships before he calls it a career.
Should he be placed on the block, virtually every team across the league will be looking to acquire his services in one way or another. However, to O’Connor, there are only a handful of suitors that he believes could fit the megastar best, and the Knicks are viewed as the second most ideal landing spot in his eyes.
“Maybe the Knicks are reluctant to dump everything for Donovan Mitchell because they’re hoping James could shake loose in L.A. It’d be an upside play to bring New York back to glory. LeBron would be embraced by Knicks fans overnight in ways he’s never been by Lakers fans because of their love for Kobe Bryant.”
The dream of seeing LeBron James taking his talents to New York City is certainly nothing new, as they were reportedly one of his top choices back during his infamous 2010 free agency period.
Knicks Could Offer Major Package for James
While the past few years have, in large, been rather tumultuous from a winning standpoint for the Knicks, throughout this time the front office has managed to cultivate a ton of valuable assets.
Be it in the form of future draft capital or promising young prospects, thanks to their impressive trade endeavors and savvy draft decisions New York currently finds itself with plenty to offer up in a hypothetical trade for LeBron James.
Assuming Los Angeles’ goal would be to embark on a full-fledged rebuild, the Knickerbockers would have the ability to piece together easily one of the best packages that Rob Pelinka could receive.
Owning the rights to seven total first-round picks through 2025 while also rostering 3 lottery-selected talents from over the last 3 years and a bevy of other promising players still 25 years old or younger, Leon Rose could effortlessly piece together an offer that would likely blow any other proposal out of the water.
They’re already confident that they can outbid any franchise for Donovan Mitchell. Who’s to say this wouldn’t also be the case for LeBron James?
Knicks Remain Focused on Mitchell
While this LeBron James situation is merely speculative, their pursuits of Donovan Mitchell are absolutely real.
Just recently, reports surfaced stating that the Knicks engaged the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Lakers in hopes of striking a multi-team deal.
According to an August 5 report by HoopsHype’s Michael A Scotto, the concept revolved around Mitchell heading to New York, significant draft capital heading to Utah, and a plethora of role players being sent to Los Angeles.
“The proposed three-team trade scenario included Westbrook going to Utah and getting bought out. Utah would send Donovan Mitchell to the Knicks, a combination of two players, including Patrick Beverley and Jordan Clarkson, Bojan Bogdanovic or Malik Beasley to the Lakers, and the Jazz would receive significant draft pick compensation from the Knicks and Lakers. The Knicks also would’ve had to part with veteran salary filler(s), such as Derrick Rose to help make the salaries work,” Scotto wrote.
Considering the high asking price Utah has set for a Mitchell deal, coupled with New York’s reported unwillingness to adhere to some of their demands, adding on a third party to help execute a blockbuster would be a logical move for both teams to consider making.
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Knicks Listed as Potential Trade Destination for LeBron James