The New York Knicks’ hopes to enter the NBA Finals were crushed after the Indiana Pacers took them down in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Knicks went the distance again and might be just a few pieces away from knocking the hurdle down. Can Domantas Sabonis be one such piece? An interesting trade scenario has emerged tying him to the Knicks.
On Friday, NBA insider Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints proposed a blockbuster three-team proposal, which goes like this:
Knicks receive:
- Domantas Sabonis (from Kings)
- Keegan Murray (Kings’ promising forward)
- Rookie combo guard Kobe Bufkin
- Young wing Vit Krejci
- 2030 first-round pick (via Atlanta, lottery protected)
Atlanta Hawks Receive:
Sacramento Kings Receive:
- Karl-Anthony Towns (from Knicks)
- 2026 first-round pick (unprotected from NYK)
- 2030 first-round pick (unprotected from NYK)
In Sabonis, the Knicks receive an All-Star with elite rebounding and playmaking skills. While the Knicks do lose Towns but if they are not worried about scoring, Sabonis is an upgrade in interior defense. Moreover, the trade is favorable to the Knicks as they get youth in the form of Murray, Bufkin, Krejci and future assets.
However, the team does lose veteran Josh Hart to the Hawks. Hart averaged 13.6 points, 9.6 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game last season. He had a shooting split of 52.5/33.3/77.6. But in the ECF, his average dropped down to 8.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
The bottom line is, even if the Knicks would like this trade to go through, there may not be enough for the other two teams to go for it.
Nonetheless, anything positive the Knicks do this offseason will go a long way in making their path back to the playoffs.
