The New York Knicks appear to have a more favorable path toward the NBA Finals this season, especially with the Boston Celtics missing Jayson Tatum and the Indiana Pacers without Tyrese Haliburton.
Even with strong odds to reach the NBA Finals, nothing feels settled with Detroit suddenly sitting atop the conference. If New York wants real separation, Isiah Thomas’ idea starts to sound a lot more reasonable.
As trade season nears, New York will have to determine how aggressive it plans to get. For Zeke, that means targeting Anthony Davis (even though he’s currently injured).
“I think there are four teams in the East that, if they make a trade for AD, I think they become the favorite…if New York pulls a trade for AD, I mean, he swings the balance very similar to when Rasheed Wallace was traded from Atlanta several years ago. And he came to Detroit, and all of a sudden, you know, Detroit takes off. I thought Rasheed, wherever he went in the East at that point in time, that team was going to elevate to a championship level,” Thomas said.
“If Boston trades for AD… they have a chance to elevate to that Championship-level again.” 👀
Isiah Thomas says Anthony Davis could impact any team in the East like Rasheed Wallace did for the Pistons 🏆@MichelleDBeadle | @boogiecousins | @ChandlerParsons pic.twitter.com/6RxIOXFE3M
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) January 8, 2026
