The Los Angeles Lakers were the preferred destination for Anthony Davis when he requested a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans during the 2018-19 NBA season.
The Lakers were not the only team on that list as it was reported at the time the Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks, and New York Knicks were all on his preferred list.
Although Davis said he was open to a trade to all teams that had a chance of winning a championship, it was common knowledge the Lakers were the team he most wanted to play for. And because of the lone year remaining on his deal, no teams besides the Lakers felt comfortable giving up significant assets with the fear he might leave the following summer.
However, with everything said and done, Davis confirmed the Knicks were indeed on his short list of teams, so much so that he ‘seriously considered’ requesting a trade there, via Boomer and Gio of WFAN Sports Radio:
“Every team was on my list at the time, and then I kind of cut it down, and they were one of the ones that made the final cut,” Davis said.
Davis continued by saying that Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks historical organization were the main things drawing him to the idea of playing in New York:
“I talked to some guys over there who were still there, and I feel like playing for an organization like that, especially New York, it’d be something that I was always interested in,” he said. “You see ‘Melo was there and the history that the Knicks have and a historical franchise it is, I thought it was something I could definitely be a part of.”
While this is likely far from good news for Knicks fans, one good takeaway is there are NBA players who still view the Knicks as a top-tier destination. In addition, the Knicks likely would’ve had the best trade package for Davis had the Lakers not gone all out in their pursuit of him.
In the end, the Lakers had by far the most to give and it led them to win the Davis sweepstakes. However, his interest in the Knicks will likely hang around as a storyline throughout the rest of the season and into 2020 NBA free agency when he is an unrestricted free agent.