New Orleans became the luckiest city last Tuesday after they bagged the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft Lottery. Most likely, the Pelicans will look to sign Duke Standout Zion Williamson, and this will, presumably, entice Anthony Davis to reconsider his decision to be traded.
While lady luck smiled at New Orleans despite only having a 6% chance in landing the number 1 pick, Davis is still firm in his judgment. According to The Spun, AD still has one year left in his contract with the Pelicans, but even the thought of having Zion on his side is not enough to make him sway and stay.
Davis made up his decision earlier this year, and of course, a lot of teams tried to persuade "Unibrow" to join them. The most obvious was the Los Angeles Lakers who was upfront in sending several of their young guns in exchange for the big man.
Another is the New York Knicks. A number of analysts are still saying that the Knicks can offer a tangible trade package to get Davis. The Boston Celtics is also a running contender and should they go after Davis; the trade will revolve around Jayson Tatum.
The Knicks meanwhile can trade their No. 3 pick that will most likely be RJ Barret, Kevin Knox and "some combination of future draft picks" to the Pelicans in exchange for AD. This idea should be taken with the grain of salt, though: things can change with just minutes before the Draft starts, but the first 3 picks will definitely include Williamson, Ja Morant, and teammate RJ Barret. If the Pelicans can't convince Davis to stay, then Barret and Williamson will play together again, but in the big league this time.
Another source evaluated the Knicks' course of action this offseason sees that the team will go all in in acquiring key players. Of course, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving will be two of their top priorities alongside Davis. However, they will still have to fight their way to get AD considering the Lakers, and the Celtics won't give up without a fight.
If Davis' mind is truly made up, it'll be no surprise to see an aggressive Knicks front office this summer. Having Davis on their team will be a big plus and a bullet for them to lure Durant and Irving. AD is a potential MVP candidate, and so are "Durantula" and "Uncle Drew." If these three makes for a Knicks centerpiece, then there will be a new "super team" in the works.
