The New York Knicks are ready to start trading. After winning the Carmelo Anthony sweepstakes in free agency, the team cannot afford to simply outright sign players to contracts. Their salary cap situation is tight through the upcoming season, meaning trading players is the only way to improve the roster. With plenty of holes left to fill, the Knicks will begin by dealing one of their many backcourt players in the coming weeks.
The Knicks have a crowded backcourt that might work in their favor. JR Smith, Iman Shumpert, Tim Hardaway Jr and Shane Larkin are all fighting for playing time amongst each other and now team president Phil Jackson might solve the issue by simply trading one or two of them. According to ESPNNewYork.com, Jackson is quietly shopping both Shumpert and Smith while Hardaway Jr has been deemed untouchable.
The shopping of Smith is not a shock to any Knicks' fan. The guard said so himself that he certainly would not blame Jackson for dealing him. His 2013-14 season got off to a rocky start after he earned the Sixth Man of the Year award. He was suspended for drug use and then had some on-the-court antics that did not sit well with the coaching staff. Pair all of those things with a crowded position group and a trade is expected to be the result.
"Yeah, because that's just the way the numbers work, honestly," Smith said, via ESPN.com. "When you have so many people at that same position and you're trying to juggle between 'Well, he's got to play 20 minutes, he's got to play 30 minutes, he's got to play 25 minutes,' it's tough to do. That's why whenever I'm in the gym I try to do the best. [I'm] not worried about those guys [the other shooting guards], but [I want] to make sure I'm evolving my game so I can play multiple positions and keep my talent on the floor."
Smith is coming off his worst year statistically which might make him hard to deal. Shumpert holds a lot of value and will get plenty of looks if teams believe he is truly up for grabs. Still very young, Shumpert is a strong defender that is slowly coming around on offense. He has had interest from several teams in the league over the past few month, the Knicks have just yet to commit to dealing him.
The shopping of Smith and Shumpert is a result of failed deals for Amar'e Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani. The Knicks have been attempting to deal the big men and their inflated contracts, but no one wants to take on a player with increasing pay and decreasing minutes on the court.