The NBA trade deadline is Thursday at 3 p.m. and the Knicks are among the teams being linked to a trade for Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Knicks have a history of making significant trades. Here are the 10 best:
10. Marcus Camby trade (1998)
The Knicks sent Sean Marks, Charles Oakley and cash to the Raptors for Camby on June 25, 1998. After backing up Patrick Ewing in his first season as the Knicks went to the 1999 NBA Finals, Camby established himself as one of the league’s best defensive big men, averaging 11.1 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks over the next three seasons.
9. Josh Hart trade (2023)
Leon Rose has traded for bigger names, but never has the Knicks' president gotten more for less than what he received by sending Cam Reddish and a protected first-round pick to the Trail Blazers for Hart on Feb. 8, 2023. Though Hart doesn’t have the gaudy stats that many of his teammates do, he has proved to be the glue that binds the team together. Want proof? Just look at the team’s 5-6 record without him this season.
8. Larry Johnson trade (1996)
The Knicks acquired Johnson from the Hornets for Brad Lohaus and Anthony Mason on July 14, 1996. Though Johnson was on the downside of his career, the Knicks made the playoffs in each of his five seasons, including a 1999 Finals appearance. He averaged 12.3 points and 5.5 rebounds in his five seasons with the Knicks and is most famous for his late four-point play in Game 3 of the 1999 Eastern Conference finals against the Pacers.
7. Bernard King trade (1982)
The Knicks sent Michael Ray Richardson and a fifth-round draft pick (yes, they had those then) to Golden State for King on Oct. 22, 1982. King led the Knicks to playoff appearances in 1983 and 1984 and became the only Knick ever to lead the league in scoring when he averaged 32.9 points per game during the 1984-85 season. He played in two All-Star Games as a Knick in 1984 and 1985, then suffered a serious right knee injury on March 23, 1985, and missed the entire 1985-86 season.
6. Dick Barnett trade (1965)
The Knicks sent Bob Boozer to the Lakers for Barnett on Oct. 14, 1965. Barnett — known for his highly unorthodox jump shot — would help lead the Knicks reach the playoffs seven times, winning championships in 1970 and 1973. In his nine seasons with the team, he averaged 15.6 points and played in the 1968 All-Star Game.
Latrell Sprewell against the Indiana Pacers in 1999. Credit: AP/Tom Strattman
5. Latrell Sprewell trade (1999)
The Knicks rolled the dice on Jan. 21, 1999, and traded Terry Cummings, Chris Mills and John Starks to Golden State for Sprewell, a three-time All-Star who had been suspended for 68 games by the NBA in 1997 for choking coach P.J. Carlesimo. Sprewell helped the Knicks reach the NBA Finals in his first season and the playoffs the next two years. He averaged 17.9 points in his four-plus seasons with them and went to the 2001 All-Star Game.
4. Charles Oakley trade (1988)
The Knicks sent Bill Cartwright and two draft picks to Chicago for Oakley and draft picks on July 27, 1988. Oakley became the heart and soul of the defensive-minded Knicks for the next 10 seasons, during which they made it to the 1994 NBA Finals and never missed the playoffs. He averaged a double-double (10.4 points and 10.0 rebounds) in 10 seasons with the Knicks and went to the All-Star Game in 1994.
3. Carmelo Anthony trade (2011)
The Knicks traded Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov, four picks and cash to Denver for Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Renaldo Balkman and Anthony Carter on Feb. 22, 2011. Though the Knicks would never get past the second round with Anthony, he made the All-Star team in each of his seven seasons with them, averaging 24.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists.
2. Earl Monroe trade (1971)
The Knicks traded Mike Riordan, Dave Stallworth and cash to the rival Bullets for Monroe on Nov. 10, 1971. In nine seasons with the Knicks, Monroe established himself as one of the franchise’s all-time great players, leading them to the NBA Finals in 1972 and winning what stands as their most recent title in 1973. He averaged 16.2 points and played in two All-Star Games in nine seasons.
1. Dave DeBusschere trade (1968)
On Dec. 19, 1968, the Knicks got a key piece of both their championship teams when they acquired DeBusschere from the Pistons for Walt Bellamy and Howard Komives. The Knicks made the playoffs every season DeBusschere played with the team, winning championships in 1970 and 1973. In his five-plus seasons with the team, DeBusschere averaged 16.0 points and 10.7 rebounds and played in five straight All-Star Games.
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
