5 most impactful Knicks trade deadline deals ever
Let’s look back at the five trade deadline (or close to it) deals the Knicks completed that made the biggest impact on the franchise...
Carmelo Anthony - 2011
Arguably the biggest trade in Knicks history, the Donnie Walsh and Mike D’Antoni rebuild spanned multiple seasons. It also built up to and was eventually taken down by this deal. It brought the Knicks their biggest star since Patrick Ewing, and he happened to be a hometown, surefire Hall-of-Famer.
It also cost New York three prospects and multiple picks, in exchange for less postseason success than fans and the organization hoped for. The "what-if" of the Knicks forcing Anthony to wait until free agency to join them, potentially sending him elsewhere or eventually nabbing him at no cost, still lives on.
Tracy McGrady - 2010
While this trade in a vacuum didn’t ultimately impact much, it was the biggest swing Walsh took in ridding the Knicks of cap space leading up to the vaunted 2010 free agency that was headlined by LeBron James and Dwyane Wade among multiple other stars. Prior to this deal, Walsh salary-dumped Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph, and he traded Nate Robinson during this same deadline.
The Knicks were so set on accumulating cap room that they moved Jordan Hill, their most recent first-round draft pick (selected eighth overall), in his rookie year and their future 2012 first-overall pick. McGrady was a fun addition to an otherwise rough season, but was clearly past his prime and had little to contribute past an outstanding debut.
Maurice Cheeks - 1990
New York’s deadline deal for Cheeks, sending Rod Strickland to the San Antonio Spurs, became a branching off point for a string of trades that ultimately impacted the Knicks across decades. Cheeks spent less than a year as a Knick before being dealt to the Atlanta Hawks for center Tim McCormick and the first-round pick that became Charlie Ward.
Ward obviously became a fan favorite and staple of the Knicks' late-90’s success. He was eventually traded as part of the 2004 deal that got New York Stephon Marbury from the Phoenix Suns in a larger package that included sending out two first-round picks.
Josh Hart - 2023
The 2022-23 season featured a number of key turning points in the Leon Rose-Tom Thibodeau era. One of them was this trade, marking a full on commitment from the front office to build their team in Thibs' vision. Up to this point, management had walked a fine line in trying to accumulate talent, even if the fit wasn’t perfect. But after a rough 2021-2022 they correctly decided to model the roster after their coach.
Hart was a prime candidate, the quintessential Thibs role player -- a hard-nosed defending, rebounding and do-it-all wing. The Knicks went on a tear following the trade, with the third-best net rating to close the year, and a first-round playoff series win.
Moe Harkless and a first-round pick - 2020
This deal makes the list for all of the interesting crossroads it took the franchise in the following years and beyond. First, it shed Marcus Morris’ salary, leading to the 2020 free agency that would spawn 2021’s surprise run.
Second, and maybe more importantly, the first-round pick turned into Immanuel Quickley. If we want to dig deeper in the rabbit hole, this Morris trade doesn’t happen if the Knicks don’t trade Kristaps Porzingis in a near-deadline deal a year prior.
