Not only did the Knicks miss out on landing Anthony Davis, but his trade with the Lakers could potentially make New York miss out on a top free agent.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Davis will be waiving his $4 million trade kicker. In turn, the Lakers would have $32 million in salary cap space, which creates a max free agent slot.
So who could the Lakers target with that money? Kyrie Irving is the first player that comes to mind. The Nets are his expected favorite, while the Knicks are also at the top of the list. But, with the Lakers opening themselves up for options, Irving could think about rejoining LeBron James in Los Angeles.
Irving requested a trade from Cleveland following their 2016 NBA Finals victory, wanting to run the show wherever he went next. That created a rift with James, but the two have since squashed that bug and remain friends. With Davis and James in place already, Irving could be the missing piece for the Lakers.
There is also Kawhi Leonard, an LA native, who reportedly has the Clippers at the top of his wish list this summer. The Knicks are also expected to be "aggressive" in their pursuit of Leonard, per SNY's Ian Begley. However, there may be a fit problem with James playing at small forward as well.
Either way, the Lakers have now put themselves right in the mix to land one of the top free agents on the market. They already have two of the best players in the game on their roster, and adding a third would immediately make them a top playoff contender in the west.
More importantly, it could wreck the Knicks' free agency plans.