Karl Malone spent the majority of his career with the Utah Jazz, although there were chances that he could have moved to another team. Most know how “The Mailman” joined the Lakers for the 2003/04 season, although this was the tail-end of his NBA career.
Like most players, Malone was not spared from possibly getting traded to other teams. In 1994, that almost happened and Karl would have been a New York Knick. The only problem then was that Utah wanted to ensure they got someone equally talented. As far as the Knicks were concerned, Patrick Ewing was the only asset they were considering.
Never say never
Malone heard about the Knicks trade rumor and took it with a grain of salt. However, he didn’t hesitate to answer whether he would be open to playing for New York. This was after a preseason game between the Knicks and the Jazz in October 1994.
“Would I like to play here? Yes, absolutely, it’s a nice place to play. Am I going to play here? You never can say never, but I’m with the Jazz now, and they told me they would never release me to play here,” Malone said via the New York Times .