The NY Knicks have been mentioned in numerous trade rumors this offseason and during the season names like Iman Shumpert, Amar'e Stoudemire, JR Smith, Pablo Prigioni or Andrea Bargnani could come up, as the team is looking to target players like Marc Gasol, Andrew Bynum, LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Monroe next year in free agency if they end up with enough cap space next summer.
According to ESPN.com, the team has shopped a number of players this offseason, including Iman Shumpert, JR Smith and Pablo Prigioni. Pro Basketball Talk is also reporting that the team may look at a trade with Stoudemire this season at some point and a team like the Philadelphia 76ers could be an option. The Knicks are preparing for a big free agent run next season and those trades could be the start of that, as the NY Post reports that Rajon Rondo and Marc Gasol are potential targets.
Phil Jackson spoke earlier in the offseason and said that Andrew Bynum could be another free agent target, but that likely would be in the 2015 summer as well. Reports have Bynum potentially sitting out this season to get his knees healthy for next year and that could open up a spot for him in NY depending on how things shake out. The Knicks will have more money to spend and they are looking for more players to add around Carmelo Anthony.
Jackson has pulled off some solid trades this offseason, including adding Jose Calderon, Samuel Dalembert and Shane Larkin in a deal with the Mavericks and he also acquired Travis Outlaw and Quincy Acy for bench support. Jackson traded away Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton, two players that were not playing up to their potential and he got a new starting point guard, a strong defensive center and a young guard, upgrading at every turn in that deal. Adding Outlaw was also big and he only had to give up Jeremy Tyler and guard Wayne Ellington, which helped open things up on the bench.
The team now has some solid options to back up Anthony with Outlaw and Cleanthony Early and that should help limit his minutes to keep Melo fresh. The team needs him to be healthy all season and playing his best to contend and getting him rest will only help that. The Knicks may not be a great team, but they should be a playoff team in the east this season. The roster is already stringer than last season due to the trades and there is a chance the team could add more by the time the season starts up.
The Knicks won just 37 games last season and now they have the chance to bounce back after signing Melo to a five year deal. The team also signed Jackson to a five year deal and head coach Derek Fisher, meaning that trio has time to build things for the franchise. Knicks fans are not known for their patience, but it may pay off next summer if they can sign a top free agent and that could lead to the team contending very soon.