Before he was ultimately dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday afternoon, former New Orleans Pelicans star Anthony Davis had made it clear that the New York Knicks were another one of his preferred destinations.

The Knicks have the No. 3 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, as well as two max cap slots that they are hoping to deploy this summer. Should the team have acquired Davis, it likely would have attracted more star power to come play in Madison Square Garden.

However, the Knicks always appeared to be long shots in any hypothetical deal for Davis, given that they did not have the kind of assets possessed by the Lakers or the Boston Celtics.

Indeed, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports the Knicks were never very close to landing Davis:

The Post reported last week the Pelicans didn’t view the Knicks’ young assets as especially attractive in comparison to other Davis suitors, feeling they needed a third team more than any other squad involved. According to an NBA source, the Knicks “weren’t close” to having a major package to entice New Orleans on a deal. The Lakers didn’t need a third team to land Davis and unite him with James, but they have, as one NBA executive put it, “mortgaged their future for a very small window with LeBron.’

The Knicks' assets include Dennis Smith Jr., Kevin Knox, Frank Ntilikina and Mitchell Robinson in addition to the third pick, while the Lakers had the luxury of offering the fourth pick in addition to the likes of Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart.