While Anthony Davis seemed destined to end up as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, a handful of other teams were in the market for the All-NBA big man’s services while he was still with the New Orleans Pelicans. One such franchise was the New York Knicks, and according to a report, Davis was legitimately interested in heading to the Big Apple.
That, of course, did not happen, as the Lakers paid a hefty price in order to land Davis, while the Knicks apparently had some reservations about giving up too much after giving up a ton in the Carmelo Anthony trade years earlier. It did not help that one such piece that would have presumably needed to be on the table was untouchable in trade talks.
According to Ian Begley of SNY, the Knicks had zero interest in parting ways with Mitchell Robinson in a Davis deal. That might no longer be the case now that the franchise’s top decision maker, Leon Rose, did not draft him, but under the front office’s previous regime, Robinson was staying in New York.
“Steve Mills and Scott Perry were not open to moving Robinson last year in any package that would have returned Anthony Davis, per sources,” Begley wrote. “But Mills and Perry also drafted Robinson. Generally speaking, executives who draft a player are more reluctant to trade the prospect.”
Begley did specify that any potential trade involving Robinson would be dependent on who the Knicks could get — he speculated that he would be surprised if Robinson wasn’t made available in a trade for a player the caliber of Karl-Anthony Towns. It is important to stress that Robinson is a good and very promising player, and he has the potential to be the centerpiece of a rebuild due to his ability to terrorize opponents near the rim on both ends of the floor. Still, while plenty of folks are high on what he can do, it appears New York’s old front office was higher than most.
