This article had me chuckling:

https://theknickswall.com/most-impactful-trades-knicks-history-pacific-central-northwest-divisions/

Because one of my favorite trades at the time was:

Date: October 4, 2005

Knicks acquire: Eddy Curry, Antonio Davis, 2007 first-round pick (became Wilson Chandler)

Bulls acquire: Jermaine Jackson, Mike Sweetney, Tim Thomas, 2006 first-round pick (became LaMarcus Aldridge), 2007 first-round pick (became Joakim Noah), 2007 second-round pick (became Kyrylo Fesenko), 2009 second-round pick (became Jon Brockman)

This was a tough one. On one hand, the 1988 trade that brought Charles Oakley and Rod Strickland to the Knicks nearly won the Knicks the 1994 championship. There aren’t a lot of deals in team history that can boast that.

On the other hand, the Eddy Curry trade hamstrung the team for years and cost them the chance at a young Aldridge-Noah front court that could have run the East for years. So what do we value more, the opportunity gained by Oak Tree, or the possibilities lost because of Eddy Curry? When it comes to the Knicks, the negatives almost always outweigh the positives.

(I remember a poster freaking out that the picks were unprotected, and I argued that that was irrelevant )

Also I hated the Oakley for Camby trade at the time but ended up loving it further down the line (remember when Camby sat out with an ingrown toe nail while in JVG dog house).

I think the only trade I liked at the time and continued to love were:

Latrell Sprewell's second chance will be with the Golden State Warriors for guard John Starks and forwards Chris Mills and Terry Cummings.
A three-time All-Star with a history of trouble with teammates, coaches and management, Sprewell has not played since he was suspended without pay for the final 68 games of the 1997-98 season for twice attacking Warriors coach P.J. Carlesimo during a practice Dec. 1, 1997.

Knicks management made the trade after meeting face-to-face with Sprewell and conducting extensive background checks, team president and general manager Ernie Grunfeld said Thursday.
"We saw he was upset about what happened in the past and wanted a second opportunity," Grunfeld said in a teleconference. "We're gonna be supportive of him and with him."
Sprewell still has to meet with NBA commissioner David Stern and Players Association executive director Billy Hunter and provide assurances that he will control his temper. Sprewell is expected to join the Knicks in the next several days, Grunfeld said.
"In the new collective bargaining agreement there will be certain behavior issues," Madison Square Garden president and CEO Dave Checketts said.
Sprewell's natural position is shooting guard, where the Knicks already have Allan Houston. With his defensive versatility, Sprewell is expected to shift to small forward, joining a frontcourt that includes star center Patrick Ewing.
"He's an explosive offensive player," Grunfeld said. "He's a fierce competitor. I think he's committed to winning."
Some believed Sprewell simply should have been committed after his attack on Carlesimo, which led to the longest non-drug ban in league history.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/knicks-get-spree-lose-starks/

I hated the Spree for Van Horn trade at the time and even afterwards (when he was growing on people), hated the Melo trade, hated the Camby for Antonio McDyess trade, hated Ariza for Steve Francis

Weirdly I liked most of IT's trades at the time- landing Crawford, landing Marbury, landing Zach Randolph- I thought they were all awesome, ha ha!

There really aren't that many trades I liked at the time, and even fewer that turned out to be good after a few seasons later.

smackeddog wrote:

homeskillitprigioni wrote:I can't remember a Knicks trade I liked. Ever.

It's not a great track record!

Latrell Sprewell's second chance will be with the Golden State Warriors for guard John Starks and forwards Chris Mills and Terry Cummings.

IMO...best trade knicks ever made, and who wasn't a Starks fan

SupremeCommander wrote:

meloshouldgo wrote:Yeah, I can't remember a trade I liked either. Hated the Melo trade then, still do. Hated the Camby trade, but liked it later. The trade I almost liked was the same as yours, the Eddy Curry trade. Totally hated the Stevie Franchise trade because it cost us Ariza.

The Melo trade was the wrong deal to make looking back. Just another attempt to circumvent a rebuild. I know you likely don't share the same sentiment, but at least we got to see a HOFer in his prime. While that might only be a silver lining that is the best thing we had access to around here

Loved the Oakley/Camby and Spree/Starks trade. Both Starks and Oak had seen their better days and we had gone as far as we were going to go with them...Camby and Spree were young and athletic and meant we were getting away from slug ball and joined the rest of the league in the new era.

CrushAlot wrote:Hated the Dyess trade the most because I love draft night and was on my way to a draft party when it was first rumored to be happening.

Agreed..hated the McDyess trade!!