Knicks Almost Landed Lakers Legend

The New York Knicks nearly traded for Los Angeles Lakers star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Feb 9, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Kareem Abudl-Jabbar, former Los Angeles Laker and NBA Hall of Famer, answers questions during a press conference prior to the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Milwaukee Bucks at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks had Patrick Ewing dominate the middle for 15 years, but that might not have happened if the franchise got its way in a trade a few years prior.

HoopsHype writer Mark Deeks recalls the moment when the Knicks were interested in trading for Los Angeles Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar back in 1982.

"In the run-up the 1982 draft, on an episode of Sports Sunday, Brent Musburger reportedly announced that a deal was in place that would send Abdul-Jabbar to New York, Bill Cartwright to the Utah Jazz, and whichever of the No. 1 or No. 2 pick that the Lakers did not already have – they were guaranteed one of two, with the Jazz getting the other – going to L.A," Deeks writes. "The Lakers then reportedly planned to select Ralph Sampson, along with Worthy – while history now knows that he would not live up to the billing, Sampson was unanimously considered a league-altering prospect at the time. The deal fell apart when Sampson decided not to enter the 1982 draft and return to Virginia."

Had the deal gone through, Abdul-Jabbar would have changed coasts, going from sunny southern California to the hustle and bustle of New York City. Even though Abdul-Jabbar was past his prime in 1982, he still brought a lot to the table, making seven more All-Star games and still averaging 20 or more points per game.

Had he been in New York, the Knicks likely wouldn't have drafted Ewing in 1985. Abdul-Jabbar would have remained the Knicks center and he would have broken the scoring record in New York instead of Los Angeles.

A lot of the league's history would be different if this trade had gone through, and it's a rabbit hole that spans more than 40 years of change.

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