Zach LaVine would be a near-perfect commercial candidate for the Knicks. Although the team appears determined not to part with future draft capital, the shooting guard should be significantly less expensive than other established All-Stars.
Players like James Harden, DeMar DeRozan, LaMarcus Aldridge or Victor Oladipo would have had a huge impact in New York. However, each would also require separation from a massive combination of young talent and choices.
LaVine is a 17.7 career points for scorer. Most recently, he averaged 23.7 points per game in 2018-2019 and a career high of 25.5 in 2019-2020. He is a legitimate scoring threat that he is capable of producing against the best defenders of the competition. He is also a dynamic scorer who boasts both a dangerous outside shot (he is a career shooter at 37% from three points) and the ability to attack the basket.
If New York is really interested in acquiring a star without playing a king’s ransom, a player like LaVine could be an ideal middle ground. The 25-year-old is also young enough to fit into the same timeline as the rest of the Knicks’ young core.