NBA Trade Rumors: Zach LaVine doesn’t want to be traded to New York Knicks
NBA Trade Rumors: If Zach LaVine does end up being traded this offseason, it doesn’t look like he’d welcome a deal to the New York Knicks.
Now that the 2023 NBA Draft is officially in the books, the New York Knicks will now shift its focus to free agency. This is where we could see the Knicks make their big splash. If the Knicks do make a big move, the belief is that it will come via trade.
New York has a multitude of tradable future first-round picks and enticing young pieces they could include in a potential deal for a star. The Knicks must play the waiting game and make the right push when a star becomes available. One that, according to a recent report, could emerge as the next big name to be moved is Zach LaVine.
Zach LaVine doesn’t want to be traded to the New York Knicks
Although, perhaps the Knicks shouldn’t get too excited about the possibility of making a move for LaVine.
According to a report from the New York Daily News, LaVine and his camper wouldn’t welcome a trade to the Knicks.
"But a source said the LaVine camp isn’t interested in dealing with the Knicks, who have a reputation around the league of favoring clients of CAA, the agency that employed Leon Rose before his move to the Knicks front office.”"
This would be pretty funny if this is the reason why LaVine wasn’t traded to the Knicks. Relationships matter in the NBA. We’re constantly reminded of that nearly every offseason. And this is not insignificant.
The Knicks are expected to be a potential landing spot for any star that hits the trade market. But a star hitting the trade block isn’t that common. This past year was the exception, in which we saw Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, and Bradley Beal traded. That is never the expectation in the NBA.
When stars do find their way to the trade block, you must capitalize on such targets. And with the Knicks in an ideal position to do so the next time a star of their liking hits the market, it would be somewhat demoralizing if they were already eliminated from a potential LaVine sweepstakes.
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There’s no guarantee that the Knicks would be willing to go all-in for LaVine, but he’s certainly a palyer that would make sense for the team. He’s another scoring wing that could help take some of the pressure off of Jalen Brunson. But it seems as if LaVine’s camp gave the Knicks their answer before they even have an opportunity to register interest or embark on a pursuit.