From LeBron to Lillard NBA Stars Who Almost Joined the New York Knicks

It has been 7 years since the New York Knicks featured in the Playoffs. They have been disappointing to say the least over the years. What’s more, they have every component to be the best, one of the best arenas in the league, a large fan base, but they enduringly fail to embrace the rebuilding phase.

The front office for the team has been terrible. They had a fantastic player in Kristoff Porzingis, but they let him go in a disastrous trade.

The Mavs received Porzingis, Trey Burke, Courtney Lee, and Tim Hardaway Jr. while the Knicks received 2 first-round picks, DeAndre Jordan and Wesley Matthews. Jordan and Matthews played 21 games combined.

The disastrous Porzingis trade was reportedly a big reason behind Kevin Durant’s decision to remove the New York based side from his shortlist during the 2019 free agency. Today we look at more of these superstar trades to the Knicks that almost happened.

NBA stars who almost joined the Knicks

In 2018, Stephen A. Smith reported that the there was a possibility of Damian Lillard joining the Knicks. In 2020, in an interview with Vanity fair, Lillard confirmed the same.

While in conversation with Lisa Robinson, he said, “I thought I was headed there a few years ago; I was hearing trade rumors. The Garden is my favorite place to play.” Imagine seeing ‘Dame time’ at the MSG.

The Knicks, in 2013, almost traded Metta World Peace, Iman Shumpert, and a 2018 first-round pick for a then 26-year-old Kyle Lowry.

In a 2018 interview with The Athletic’s Eric Koreen, Lowry said, “I thought I was gone. It was business; I was ready for my new journey. There was no joke. I was packed and ready to go.” 

In 2010, LeBron James was at the peak of his powers and had announced that he is going to announce his new team in a special broadcast named ‘The Decision’. Multiple teams were in contention to be James’ new home. But 2 teams were front-runners and the Knicks were one of them.

The New York-based outfit had just roped in Amar’e Stoudemire, and media outlets were running amok, spreading the rumor of James possibly joining him to form a formidable partnership. LeBron had other plans though, as he joined the Heat to form the Big 3.

The G.O.A.T to New York?

This deal could have been the biggest in the team’s history. In 1993, Michael Jordan had retired from the game. In 1994, when there were rumors about Jordan returning, the New York Knicks were the first ones to put an offer on the table.

The Knicks offered a total deal worth $25 million per year. Had he accepted the deal, we would have seen a formidable partnership of Patrick Ewing and Michael Jordan.

Jordan did not accept the deal right away and gave a chance to the Bulls to put their offer. The Bulls did not want to get rid of their star. They wanted him to come back and win more titles for them.

Reinsdorf and the Bulls topped it off with a $30 million per year. Jordan and the Bulls went to repeat the three-peat while Ewing and the Knicks went from being a title contenders to one of the worst run teams in the NBA.