Knicks Almost Landed Lakers Legend

The New York Knicks had Patrick Ewing dominate the middle for 15 years, but that might not have happened if the franchise got its way in a trade a few years prior.

HoopsHype writer Mark Deeks recalls the moment when the Knicks were interested in trading for Los Angeles Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar back in 1982.

“In the run-up the 1982 draft, on an episode of Sports Sunday, Brent Musburger reportedly announced that a deal was in place that would send Abdul-Jabbar to New York, Bill Cartwright to the Utah Jazz, and whichever of the No. 1 or No. 2 pick that the Lakers did not already have – they were guaranteed one of two, with the Jazz getting the other – going to L.A,” Deeks writes. “The Lakers then reportedly planned to select Ralph Sampson, along with Worthy – while history now knows that he would not live up to the billing, Sampson was unanimously considered a league-altering prospect at the time. The deal fell apart when Sampson decided not to enter the 1982 draft and return to Virginia.”

Had the deal gone through, Abdul-Jabbar would have changed coasts, going from sunny southern California to the hustle and bustle of New York City. Even though Abdul-Jabbar was past his prime in 1982, he still brought a lot to the table, making seven more All-Star games and still averaging 20 or more points per game.

Had he been in New York, the Knicks likely wouldn’t have drafted Ewing in 1985. Abdul-Jabbar would have remained the Knicks center and he would have broken the scoring record in New York instead of Los Angeles.

A lot of the league’s history would be different if this trade had gone through, and it’s a rabbit hole that spans more than 40 years of change.

Make sure you bookmark New York Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!