Knicks’ Present Is Bleak, Future Could Be Bright

The New York Knicks were expecting a rough 2018-2019 season with their one true star in Kristaps Porzingis set to miss the bulk of the year. Even the most pessimistic Knicks fans couldn’t have envisioned the season going this poorly, though, with the team sitting at the bottom of the league standings. But, while it certainly hurts to cheer for the orange and blue in New York now, there could be a light at the end of the tunnel fast approaching.

Anthony Davis Trade Potential

That light could come in the form of reinforcements to the Knicks roster, either at the end of this season or in the middle of it, depending on what moves the Knicks decide to make. One of those moves could be a trade for Pelicans star Anthony Davis, who the Knicks are said to be aggressively pursuing. That trade would instantly pull the Knicks out of their state of being the worst team in the league, given that Davis is easily a top-five player in the sport. He is second in the league in scoring with 29.3 points per contest and third in rebounds with 13.3 per game.

Of course, the move to try and obtain Davis wouldn’t come without its share of risks. The Knicks would likely have to give up either their first round draft pick for the upcoming season or one of the top players on their roster such as Porzingis. They could very well end up giving away both of those things to get the Pelicans star, which could limit their ability to be competitive even if they do end up with Davis on their roster when the dust settles. For that reason, some are calling a move for Davis a potential disaster for the team.

With that said, it’s hard to be more of a disaster than the Knicks roster currently is. The Knicks are perhaps the least likely team in the NBA to reach the NBA Finals this season, sitting a staggering 30 games below .500 through the month of January. As of January 31, the Knicks sat at +200000 to win the Finals at Betway, tied for the second worst odds to win it all in the league. Sure, a trade for Anthony Davis could hurt the Knicks in some areas but things can’t get any worse than they are now, making it worth a try.

High Draft Picks

If there has been one thing that the Knicks haven’t been good at over the last two decades of mostly misery, it is drafting players. A lot of that has to do with the fact that they have been notorious for trading away their draft picks in deals that never worked out. But even the players that the Knicks have drafted haven’t always performed at the level the Knicks were expecting. But, this year, the Knicks could end up with a top-three pick in the NBA Draft and guarantee themselves a future star.

The Knicks are firmly in the race for Duke star Zion Williamson, who projects to be the top pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. Williamson is averaging 22 points per game as a freshman at Duke and simply looks more athletic than the rest of the players on the floor at all times. If the Knicks got him, he would pair nicely with promising rookie Kevin Knox, who has proven himself to be one of the best newcomers in the league this season.

If the draft lottery didn’t result in the Knicks picking number one overall, they could still end up with an elite point guard prospect. Murray State’s Ja Morant and Duke’s RJ Barrett project to round out the top-three in the draft, and could both help the Knicks to make up for what appears to be a botched point guard selection in Frank Ntilikina. Ntilikina, who has been battling a groin injury, has not progressed enough offensively to where adding another point guard through the draft would be a huge help for the team.

Whether it is by trade or by draft, the Knicks appear to have some chances to get their roster moving in the right direction by the start of next season. When it comes to the Knicks, though, it’s hard to believe things will get better until you see it.