The New York Knicks are in the middle of a very tough season after getting off to a terrible start to the year and one of the main reasons for their struggles has been the injury to Tyson Chandler and now that he is getting closer to returning, the team could explore a trade involving Pau Gasol, JR Smith or Kyle Lowry with the Lakers or the Raptors?
Chandler has been out for the Knicks since early in the season after dealing with a leg fracture, but according to SI.com, the center looks like he could be back in action soon, as he has returned to practice and took part in drills this week. The Knicks feel that missing Chandler has been one reason for their terrible start, but they also may feel likely adding him back is not enough to pull things back together, which is why some rumors have started to percolate involving a Chandler for Pau Gasol deal, as he has complained about Mike D'Antoni's system with the Lakers and that could spark a big move for the two teams.
Reports came out last week that the Knicks were interested in Kyle Lowry in a deal for Iman Shumpert and the Lakers have also reportedly looked into Shumpert themselves. Both teams could be in play for Lowry or a three team deal could get going involving JR Smith, as he has not been great this season and both the Lakers and the Knicks have had injury issues at the point guard position. Chandler is the best defender for the Knicks and now with him coming back the team could get things together and he is expecting to return to the lineup sometime after the new year, but that could be too late for the Knicks, who have already lost 16 games and are chasing a number of teams in the east.
The only saving grace for the Knicks is that they are part of the eastern conference and with nearly every team under .500, they could get back into the race. Reports from ESPN say that the Lakers did not ask about Chandler but only asked about Shumpert when they contacted the team, but that doesn't mean both sides could be thinking about a deal, as Gasol's contract is expiring and Chandler's coming off the books could be a great help for the Knicks with Carmelo Anthony becoming a free agent over the summer.
Chandler won the defensive player of the year two years ago and he was injured back in November before things turned terrible for the Knicks and he showed why he was so valuable in just three games, as he averaged nine points and 11 rebounds for the team. The Knicks can't play Amare Stoudemire as much as they are and with Raymond Felton out for at least two weeks, the bench is getting stretched thin and with the team hoping for a quick turnaround, a trade could be in the works for Gasol or Lowry.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, Smith can't be traded until January 15, so that could change some things for the team as well. The Knicks can't trade him because he will only be trade eligible at that date as a player that signed to a team over the cap "for 120 percent more than their prior season's salary."
