New information has surfaced regarding the New York Knicks' botched trade deal for D'Angelo Russell in February. The former Golden State Warriors All-Star point guard ultimately landed with the Minnesota Timberwolves, but as it turns out, the Knicks were actually one of the front-runners for Russell's services at one point.
According to a report by SNY's Ian Begley, the Knicks were willing to part ways with the trio of Bobby Portis, Allonzo Trier, and Frank Ntilikina in order to land Russell from the Dubs. It was not stated in the report why this particular deal did not push through, but it would probably be safe to assume that the fact that Russell is best friends with Wolves superstar Karl-Anthony Towns must have played a role in how things eventually played out.
For what it's worth, Minnesota had to send Andrew Wiggins and a couple of future draft picks to the Warriors in order to land Russell, so you could say that in this respect, the Wolves may have outbid the Knicks with their offer. Among the trio of Portis, Ntilikina, and Trier, it is Ntilikina that holds the most promise. However, he is not even close to being at the level of Wiggins, who provides the Warriors with another potential star.
This is not the first time the Knicks have been unsuccessful in the trade market this season, but according to another report, the team currently feels that they are currently”positioned to trade for a star.” Nothing concrete has surfaced of yet, though, so we will need to see if this optimism bears fruit anytime soon.