NBA Trade Rumors: Knicks Move Ahead Of Lakers And Celtics In Race For Anthony Davis

Earlier this week, the New Orleans Pelicans knew what it felt like to have the stars align — and fate work for them — as they secured the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. It is pretty much a given that they will select Duke forward Zion Williamson, but now, what happens with Anthony Davis? With word out there that Davis still wants to be traded out of the “Big Easy,” the New York Knicks have now emerged as the front-runners.

Last year, Anthony Davis made it publicly known that he wanted to be traded, and that he wanted out of New Orleans. It was thought that he wanted to land with the Los Angeles Lakers, but no trade happened during the 2018-2019 season.

It’s not necessarily confirmed that the Lakers are out of the picture as concerns Davis, but they certainly are not the leaders of the pack any longer. Brian Windhorst of ESPN, via YouTube, believes that the New York Knicks have “the best package to offer” the Pelicans when it comes to making this huge trade. Windhorst believes the Knicks could offer many different trade options for Davis.

• A No. 3 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
• Kevin Knox.
• Dennis Smith Jr.
• Mitchell Robinson.
• One or both of the two first-round picks received from the Dallas Mavericks.

If the Pelicans are looking to go young — and to build a future team around Zion Williamson — the Knicks likely become the top trade contenders.

Windhorst went on to say that, as he understands it, the Pelicans are not interested in doing a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers for Davis. Many pundits do not believe that the Lakers have the proper assets needed in order to make a worthy trade offer for Davis.

After the NBA Draft Lottery positions were revealed, the Boston Celtics lost a bit of steam in the race for Anthony Davis as well. The Celtics now don’t have an extra lottery pick to offer, and the 14th pick isn’t likely to be something that the Pelicans would see valuable enough to trade for Davis.

The New Orleans Pelicans could very well try to keep Davis in town, perhaps pair him with Zion Williamson, but this remains speculation.

Should the New York Knicks want to go after Anthony Davis — and be serious enough to make that trade — they could very well put together the winning offer. It is believed that the Knicks will select RJ Barrett with the No. 3 selection, if that pick isn’t sent to New Orleans, but Barrett could be a worthy trade chip as well.