The NBA's New York Knicks franchise has existed for quite a long time. It was established all the way back in 1946 when the NBA was in its fledgling stages and called the Basketball Association of America or BAA.

Over the course of their seven-plus-decade existence, the Knicks haven't done a lot of winning at a high level compared to some of the other older franchises, such as the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics. The Knicks have won just two NBA titles — back in 1970 and 1973 — and have made it to the NBA Finals eight times. Their most recent NBA Finals appearance was in 1999, when they lost to Tim Duncan, David Robinson, and the San Antonio Spurs in five games.

The Knicks certainly aren't the most successful franchise in NBA history, but they've still enjoyed their fair share of success over the years. And they've made plenty of great trades during their existence, too, as some of the best players in Knicks franchise history were acquired via trade, such as Carmelo Anthony, Earl Monroe, and Latrell Sprewell, just to name a few.

With all of that said, let's rank the five best trades in the history of the New York Knicks franchise:

5. Knicks trade for Larry Johnson

In July of 1996, the New York Knicks traded Anthony Mason and Brad Lohaus to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Larry Johnson.

Johnson wasn't the same star-caliber player he was with the Charlotte Hornets during his five-season stint with the Knicks, but he was a very effective role player with New York. Johnson averaged 12.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game across 330 total regular-season games with the franchise (327 starts).

Johnson was also an invaluable member of the 1999 Knicks squad that made it all the way to the NBA Finals. His best playoff series of the 1999 playoffs was the Eastern Conference Finals against Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers. Johnson averaged 16.5 points per game on 53.5 percent shooting from the field and 39.1 percent from behind the three-point arc during the six-game series. He was particularly great in Games 2 and 3 of that series — he scored 22 points in Game 2 and 26 in Game 3.

Johnson retired from the NBA following his fifth and final season as a member of the Knicks, the 2000-01 season. He was only 31 years old when he retired and spent just ten seasons in the pros.

4. Knicks trade for Latrell Sprewell

In January of 1999, the New York Knicks traded Terry Cummings, Chris Mills, and John Starks to the Golden State Warriors for Latrell Sprewell.

Sprewell put together a very successful five-year stint with the Knicks. His most valuable skill was his scoring chops, as he never averaged fewer than 16.4 points per game in any of his five seasons in New York. Sprewell averaged 17.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.3 steals per game across 351 regular-season games with the franchise (317 starts).

His best season with the Knicks came during the 2001-02 season when he averaged 19.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.2 steals per game during the regular season and played in 81 of 82 regular-season games.

Like Johnson, Sprewell also played a vital role on the 1999 Knicks team that reached the NBA Finals. He was arguably the Knicks' best player in the 1999 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs. Sprewell averaged 26.1 points per game during the championship series, the highest scoring average on the team by a wide margin. Allan Houston was New York's second-leading scorer during the NBA Finals, as he averaged 21.6 points per game. No other Knicks averaged double digits in scoring in the championship series.

3. Knicks trade for Charles Oakley

In June of 1988, the New York Knicks traded center Bill Cartwright and two draft picks to the Chicago Bulls for Charles Oakley and two draft picks.

Oakley spent ten of his 19 seasons in the NBA with the Knicks franchise. He averaged 10.4 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.2 steals per game in 727 total regular-season games played with New York (722 starts). Oakley's best season as a Knick came during the 1993-94 season when he averaged 11.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game during the regular season and played in all 82 regular-season games. These numbers were good enough for Oakley to earn the first and only All-Star appearance of his pro career.

Oakley's last season in New York was the 1997-98 season. After his stint with the Knicks came to an end, Oakley played for four teams — the Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards, and Houston Rockets — during his last six seasons in the NBA. Oakley retired from the NBA at the age of 40 after playing seven games for the Rockets during the 2003-04 regular season.

2. Knicks trade for Carmelo Anthony

In February of 2011, the New York Knicks traded Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov, a 2014 first-round pick, two second-round picks, and $3 million in cash to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Renaldo Balkman, and Anthony Carter.

Anthony spent seven seasons with the Knicks and should be remembered as one of the most talented players and arguably the best scorer in franchise history. He made the All-Star team in each of his seven seasons in New York and averaged 24.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game in 412 regular-season games with the franchise (all starts).

Anthony's best season as a Knick came during the 2012-13 season when he averaged a league-high 28.7 points per game on 44.9 percent shooting from the field and 37.9 percent from behind the three-point arc.

The 2012-13 iteration of the Knicks also enjoyed plenty of success from a collective standpoint. They won 54 games during the regular season, the second-most in the Eastern Conference, behind only LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and the Miami Heat, who won 56 games. And the New York Knicks beat the Boston Celtics in six games in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Knicks then played Paul George and the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. New York went on to lose the series in six games, but Anthony averaged 28.5 points per game for the series.

After Anthony's stint with the Knicks came to an end following the 2016-17 season, he played for four teams — the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, and Los Angeles Lakers — across his final five seasons in the NBA.

1. Knicks trade for Earl Monroe

In November of 1971, the New York Knicks made the best trade in the history of the franchise. They traded Mike Riordan, Dave Stallworth, and cash to the Baltimore Bullets in exchange for Earl Monroe.

Monroe accomplished a whole lot during his nine seasons with the Knicks, both from an individual and collective standpoint. He made two All-Star teams as a Knick and averaged double digits in scoring in all but one season.

But, most importantly, Monroe was an important part of the 1972-73 iteration of the Knicks that went on to win the 1973 NBA title. He played very well in the 1973 NBA Finals against Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, and the Los Angeles Lakers. Monroe averaged 16.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game during the championship series, which the Knicks went on to win in five games.

Monroe might not be the most talented player on this list — Carmelo Anthony, who has the second spot on this list, was arguably a more skilled basketball player. But because Monroe's contributions during the 1973 playoffs helped the Knicks win one of their two titles in franchise history, he is more than deserving of the top spot on this list. Earl Monroe retired from the game of basketball at the age of 35 following the 1979-80 season, his ninth and final season in New York.