The New York Knicks famously missed out on the chance to draft Stephen Curry by one pick in 2009, and many are still wondering what could’ve been.
During Monday’s episode of the 7PM in Brooklyn podcast, Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony discussed the hypothetical scenario of the Knicks drafting Curry if the Golden State Warriors left him on the board.
“Steph is out of New York in four years,” Anthony joked, sending the room into laughter.
Anthony arrived to the Knicks in a 2011 trade, so he would’ve been teaming with Curry two years into his career, long before the point guard became a two-time NBA MVP and four-time NBA champion. Still, Anthony agreed with former NBA star J.R. Smith that New York would’ve taken home the title had Curry been added to a core that also included star big man Amar’e Stoudemire.
“We winnin’ a chip,” Anthony declared.
Curry was selected by the Warriors with the No. 7 pick in the 2009 draft, while the Knicks used the eighth pick to select Arizona power forward Jordan Hill. The Knicks traded Hill 25 games into his rookie season.
New York fans long have been haunted by the thought of the team landing Curry instead of Hill, and Anthony agrees that it would’ve changed the franchise’s fortune in a major way.