If it were only this simple, the answer would be an easy one.
You trade Kristaps Porzingis for Anthony Davis. In a minute. In a second. Today. Yesterday, if that’s possible.
Unicorn for Unibrow?
Yes. You pull the trigger on that one if you are the Knicks. Anthony Davis is one of the five best players on planet Earth right now. Porzingis was on track to be an excellent player, perhaps on Davis’ level someday. Someday. But that was before he was hurt.
Davis is a game-changing player.
Porzingis might be a game-changer someday.
Someday.
So it is understandable why the Knicks’ brass has decided to be aggressive in trying to figure a way to make Anthony Davis a Knick now that Davis’ agent, Rich Paul, has told ESPN that Davis will reject the New Orleans Pelicans’ presumed interest in offering his client a $240 million super-max extension this summer.
Sources told both The Post’s Marc Berman and ESPN the same thing: Davis is exactly the kind of transformative talent the Knicks crave, young enough (26 on March 11) to be a part of the Knicks’ immediate and long-term future, accomplished enough (career averages of 24.0 points and 10.6 rebounds) to be the foundational piece for anything and everything the Knicks dream about.
Nothing about making this happen would be easy, of course, with one exception: The team presumed to be most interested in Davis, the Celtics, is forbidden, thanks to salary-cap rules fine print, from making an offer for him prior to the July 1 free-agent bazaar. So that is one huge impediment that, for the moment, is out of the picture.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that the Lakers, the other likeliest Davis destination, are under no such restrictions. Presumably anything and everything on that roster is in play, outside of LeBron James. And the thought of a James/Davis partnership for the next few years is as delicious for Los Angeles as it would be devastating for much of the rest of the league.
So if the Knicks are serious about being aggressive here, it means going all-in. Half-measures wouldn’t get them anywhere near the conversation, let alone a firm seat at the negotiating table. That means one of two paths:
Porzingis, and others (probably starting with Tim Hardaway Jr.).
Or their 2019 draft pick — which, at this point, is all but certain to carry with it the 14 percent chance to draft No. 1 overall, which would likely mean Zion Williamson — and others (probably starting with Mitchell Robinson and either Kevin Knox or Frank Ntilikina).
Now, neither of THOSE might be enough to intrigue the Pelicans as much as the Lakers might before Feb. 7, or as much as waiting until July 1 for the Celtics. And this presumes, of course, that Davis (who has expressed interest in the past in playing in a large market) is willing to commit to the Knicks long term; it’s all a non-starter otherwise.
But if either could get it done?
You get it done. You certainly part with Porzingis, even if it means your cap is hampered because Davis is that meaningful a talent, and the secondary and tertiary talent you place around him would already mean an instant upgrade — and because free agency is a high-risk parlor game anyway, and Davis would be as important a get as either Kevin Durant or Kawhi Leonard.
And you absolutely part with the pick because a) there’s an 86 percent chance you WON’T get the No. 1 overall, and because b) even if you do, Zion doesn’t come with a 100 percent guarantee. Healthy, Davis is the far more predictable pathway.
Nothing is a sure thing in sports, of course. But some things are surer than others. If the Knicks can bring Anthony Davis into the fold? You do it. It’ll cost, and cost plenty. But you do it every single time.