Post-Deadline Dreams: Knicks Trade For Zach LaVine?

A recent three-game losing streak has been a step back to reality for the New York Knicks, who could be pining for Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine though the trade deadline has long passed.

As the 2022-23 NBA season reaches its stretch run, the New York Knicks have earned a 39-30 record with 13 games left to play. It's already their sixth-highest win total since the 1999-2000 season, and they hold a comfortable three-game lead over Miami to avoid the Play-In Tournament. 

Despite this welcomed success, do they need more to legitimately contend for a title? An active three-game losing streak certainly seems to suggest so. 

Bleacher Report chimed in on who they think every NBA team wishes they could trade for well past the Feb. 9 trade deadline, claiming the Knicks would covet current Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine.

B/R writes in part:

"Since the start of February, the Knicks are 12-4 with the third-best net rating. It'd be hard to blame them if they opted to play this out and see how this club fares in the postseason.

Still, it seems New York will inevitably come up one star short of escaping the East. Unless, of course, it could swing something like this.

The Knicks discussed a LaVine deal at the deadline, per Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, and he's done nothing to play his way off their radar. LaVine could be the floor-spacer this offense needs to breathe, plus the third scorer who puts defenses into pick-your-poison scenarios alongside Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson."

LaVine, 28, is an All-Star caliber guard, reaching the exhibition in consecutive seasons (2021-22) He excels in a number of areas, most notably three-point shooting, connecting 38.4 percent of his 7.3 attempts per game. He also ranks in the top 20 in rebounds per night (4.7 RPG) among all shooting guards. 

The former two-time NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion would hypothetically idealistically add athleticism, fast-break scoring, efficient volume shooting from distance, and late-game heroics to the Knicks. 

Of course, bringing in a talent like LaVine would require a hefty price: Bleacher Report proposes moving LaVine to New York in exchange for RJ Barrett, Obi Toppin, Miles McBride, and a 2025 top-four protected first-round pick. 

Barrett, the fourth-year forward, has struggled to be a consistent contributor despite standing as the Knicks' current homegrown face. While averaging just under 20 points a game this season, he's shooting a mere 43 percent from the floor one year before a massive four-year, $107 million contract extension kicks in.

Toppin and McBride are looked at as add-ons. The former has struggled to earn consistent minutes in head coach Tom Thibodeau's rotations while McBride, lauded for his defense, has recently returned to the nine-man mix after an injury to primary point guard Jalen Brunson.

Floating LaVine's name out there may resonate with Knicks management in the summer, but it remains to be seen if the woes the franchise faced in the brief appearance in the 2021 playoffs will resurface, especially if Brunson's lingering foot issues continue to stand as a concern.

New York returns to action on Sunday night when it takes on the Los Angeles Lakers (9 p.m. ET, ESPN).

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