The New York Knicks have been toying with trades ever since the team was in the midst of a nine-game losing streak. The market is starting to heat up and the team is looking to familiar partners to put together a deal. After dealing with the Toronto Raptors earlier in the offseason, the two teams are negotiating another trade involving Kyle Lowry.
The Raptors are fresh off the trade deal sending Rudy Gay to Sacramento. That had long been in the works ever since Gay expressed his desire to get out of Toronto, but apparently that is not the only player general managers Masai Ujiri is sending away.
Yahoo! Sports reports that the Raptors are speaking with the Knicks in a trade deal involving Lowry. The two teams are in initial discussions about what the package deal would consist of, but multiple sources believe a player like Raymond Felton would likely be involved. The Knicks could also work in Iman Shumpert, a player they have been keen on trading since the season started. The combination of the two players would work as far as salary restrictions go.
The issue in this potential trade is the fact that Felton has two years remaining on his contract and he is currently sitting out with a knee injury while his stats are down on the year. If the Raptors do not want Felton, the Knicks do not have much else to offer. Shumpert is the only intriguing young player. Tim Hardaway Jr. might raise an eyebrow or two. If the Raptors seek draft picks, the Knicks do not have any. They have three picks that are eligible to be traded and the first one does not come up until 2018.
New York will likely try anything to pull this deal off seeing as they need all the immediate help they can get. With Felton out, Lowry would be a welcomed presence. This season he is averaging 14.6 points and 6.7 assists. Lowry is owed $6.1 million this year as his contract expires making him even more intriguing.
The Raptors appear ready to load up on draft picks so the Knicks may not be able to pull this trade off. New York is also looking into Denver's Andre Miller if the Lowry deal goes sour. The fact that the Knicks and Raptors work together on the Andrea Bargnani trade speaks well to this deal getting done. Trading can begin on Sunday for any player that signed a new contract in July.