NBA Rumors: New York Knicks Willing To Trade No. 1 Overall Pick And Zion Williamson For Chance At A Superstar

The New York Knicks are apparently ready to win now, and would trade away the top pick in the NBA Draft and the chance of taking Duke star Zion Williamson in order to land an established superstar like Anthony Davis.

The Knicks have been shedding salary cap space and preparing for an offseason where a number of big-name stars are set to hit the open market. A new report noted that Knicks general manager Scott Perry has also floated the idea of dealing that top pick to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for big man Anthony Davis.

As the New York Post noted, Perry is trying to keep all of his options available going into a wide-open offseason.

“Once the draft process plays out, your phone rings a lot of times,” Perry said. “I can’t sit here and tell you exactly what would happen in that scenario.

“We’ll be able to find a player that can help us get better,” the Knicks GM added. “To what degree, we’ll see.”

The New York Knicks have already been at the center of rumors surrounding Kevin Durant, who is expected to opt out of his contract with the Golden State Warriors and hit free agency. The Knicks have been pegged as his most likely destination, and some Knicks players are even sounding off on the rumors.

"There’s a lot of noise and a lot of guys are interested in New York."

Knicks president Steve Mills added fuel to the Kevin Durant free-agency fire with his latest comments. (via @Schrock_And_Awe)https://t.co/QKYgevwlEj pic.twitter.com/RftxA3dLWO

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 19, 2019

This week, Knicks guard Emmanuel Mudiay said it has been strange to see the rumors reach such a fever pitch, telling SI TV that it became impossible to ignore the hype surrounding the team’s alleged pursuit of Durant.

“Is that someone New York definitely wants? No doubt, with what he’s done in his career. The scorer he is. The type of player he is. The type of person he is,” Mundiay said, via Fansided. “I wouldn’t say it’s a distraction, but I would say you can’t miss it.”

There have also been some rumors that the New York Knicks may not select Zion Williamson, even if they manage to land the top overall pick in the lottery. A report from Elite Sports New York noted that fellow college basketball standout Ja Morant has been quickly climbing up draft boards and may end up passing Williamson as the top overall pick. Morant is seen as a true NBA point guard, and some NBA experts believe he could be better suited to building a franchise around than Williamson.