7 Zach LaVine trades that tilt the balance of power in the NBA

1. Zach LaVine to the New York Knicks

The New York Knicks are reportedly not on Zach LaVine’s wishlist, which makes it a good thing he’s under contract for four seasons and doesn’t have a no-trade clause. The Knicks own a net rating of plus-4.0, are 6-5, with an expected record of 7-4, and have suffered through a brutal opening schedule. This is an excellent team, but they’re a bit short on top-end talent compared to the Celtics, Bucks, and Sixers. 

Zach LaVine doesn’t make the most sense in New York, but he’s incredibly talented and should fit seamlessly next to Jalen Brunson on offense. At the end of the day, talent wins, and for all of the Knicks’ grit, they lack the talent to be a real threat in the playoffs. 

Giving up RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson is a lot of current NBA production to give up, but LaVine is a better version of Barrett, and Isiah Hartenstein is one of the league’s most overqualified backups. The Knicks also have a collection of protected first-round picks that they’ve had trouble offloading, but throwing all three at the Bulls should be enough to satisfy them. 

Barrett is a young player on a reasonable deal but has failed to live up to his draft pedigree. He has started the season strong, but that’s largely a product of his 50 percent shooting from three. The Knicks may want to see where he lands when regression hits, but there’s a chance he’s the same frustrating player he always has been. 

Robinson has been excellent this season and absolutely brutalizes teams on the offensive glass. However, he’s a rim-running, rim-protecting center. While ones of Robinson’s quality aren’t a dime a dozen, they’re one of the easiest player archetypes to replace, and Hartenstein is not a significant downgrade. 

The Knicks may want to keep their powder dry to land a tier-one star, but at some point, future flexibility has to become present value. The Knicks have been extremely disciplined with their assets in recent years and reaped the reward. However, players like LaVine aren’t available all that often. The Heat learned the hard way this summer that patience isn’t always a virtue.