The New York Knicks snuck by against the Bucks in double overtime on Wednesday night and with the team continuing to struggle as the schedule hits 2014, could trades go down at the point guard position for names like Jameer Nelson, Avery Bradley, Kyle Lowry or Goran Dragic with injuries to Raymond Felton and Pablo Prigioni?
The Knicks have Beno Udrih to take over for Felton and Prigioni until they get back healthy, but the injuries are starting to pile up for the team and just as Tyson Chandler is returning, those two players went down. According to ESPN.com, the Knicks were interested in trading for Kyle Lowry from the Raptors, but after Toronto asked for too much in return, including Felton, possibly Iman Shumpert and picks, the team back tracked. New reports said that there was still hope for a deal and with the injuries coming to those two players, the Knicks could pull the trigger if they continue to struggle.
The Knicks were willing to talk about Lowry and they have also been interested in Rajon Rondo, but with him coming back and the Celtics playing well, Avery Bradley may be the more likely option to get moved, but it's unclear if Boston wants to do that. Nelson has been mentioned as a trade candidate this season for the Magic and the 31-year-old point guard would bring a veteran presence to the team. The Knicks will be without Prigioni and Felton for a couple weeks and while that isn't too long, the team could fall too far in the east to pull back with too many losses in that time and it also includes a tough Christmas game with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Lakers reportedly called the Knicks about Iman Shumpert and they are a team that could be in the mix for any of these players, as they are dealing with injuries to Steve Nash, Steve Blake as well as Jordan Farmar. The Knicks have Shumpert as their best trading chip and teams like the Lakers and Raptors could be options, or the team could look into some of the names mentioned above, as the Suns could deal Dragic after already trading Marcin Gortat, while Nelson seems like a prime player to move, as the Magic are in rebuilding mode and he has been solid with 13 points and six assists per game this season. Dragic has also been playing well, averaging over 20 points and three assists in his past five games.
The Knicks already made a deal for Andrea Bargnani from the Raptors and that is one reason why they may be reluctant to deal again and that makes those other players interesting options. The Raptors reportedly asked for a first round pick as well as two names from Shumpert, Felton and Tim Hardaway Jr. and the Knicks simply were not going to make that deal, especially after James Dolan reportedly said that Masai Ujiri "fleeced" the Knicks in the Carmelo Anthony deal when he was with Denver. The Knicks may just sit tight and wait for the point guards to get healthy, but teams like the Lakers and Bulls could make those moves.
