The NY Knicks have been off to an up and down start this season and Phil Jackson may look at making trades this year, as Iman Shumpert, Jose Calderon, Amar'e Stoudemire, Andrea Bargnani and JR Smith could be traded and this comes as Marc Gasol, Rajon Rondo and Greg Monroe could be potential free agent options for Carmelo Anthony next summer.
The Knicks have been up and down to start the season and they are now 2-5 on the year after losing to the Atlanta Hawks. Jose Calderon has been out with an injury and that has given way to Shane Larkin in the starting lineup and he has been good at times, but also inconsistent. Carmelo Anthony had 20 points in the game against the Hawks and has been leading the team in scoring, but he needs more help in the offense. According to Marc Stein at ESPN.com, the Knicks may consider making moves this season and names like Iman Shumpert, Amar'e Stoudemire, Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani are the main options the team can move.
Shumpert has been mentioned in trade rumors since last year and according to ESPN.com, the Knicks will consider moving him after not coming to a contract extension but the October deadline. The Knicks likely were not going to sign Shumpert to an extension anyway since they want as much cap space as they can get for next summer, but now it could lead to a trade. Shumpert will be set to be a restricted free agent and there is a good chance the Knicks will be looking to sign big names like Rajon Rondo, Greg Monroe or Marc Gasol next summer.
The NY Post and Pro Basketball Talk have reported that the Knicks will be chasing Marc Gasol this offseason and that no matter who is on the market, he will be their top target. Rajon Rondo has been mentioned as an option as well, but there is a good chance that he will stay in Boston and that would leave the Knicks looking for another big signing. Gasol is the top defensive player in the league along with Joakim Noah and signing him would be like when the team added Tyson Chandler, but Gasol is a better player than Chandler ever was for the Knicks.
The Knicks new triangle offense has been working at times, but the consistency is not there yet and Carmelo Anthony said that the team needs more time to work on things. Anthony missed all but five of his shots against the Nets in a bad loss and now the team has dropped the last four after starting 2-1 on the season. The team opened with a loss against the Bulls before bouncing back against the Cabs and Hornets and now they have now won since that Charlotte game.
The Knicks have expectations of making the playoffs this season and they are looking to avoid a 3-13 start like they did last year, which doomed the team and put them into a huge hole. The Knicks have some winnable games coming up with the Magic, Jazz, Nuggets and Bucks as well as the Wolves and the Sixers and they have to take advantage of that before a tough schedule at the end of the month.