The NY Knicks are heading into an offseason of uncertainty and the team could look to trade names like Raymond Felton, Tyson Chandler or Amar'e Stoudemire, while Phil Jackson is still searching for a head coach as he decides on how to approach impending free agent Carmelo Anthony and now the team is looking at Derek Fisher as well as Mike Dunleavy, who is also a candidate for the LA Lakers head coach position after Steve Kerr signed with the Warriors.
The Knicks obviously have Anthony's situation to look out for and now according to ESPN.com, Jackson will be looking for a trade involving Raymond Felton if he can find a deal the team likes and that comes after the point guard was hit with felony gun charges this season. Felton was not at his best this season and that is one reason why the Knicks struggled so badly and he also dealt with a number of injuries and ended up missing 17 games during the season and he averaged less than 10 points for a career low 9.7 this season.
Felton signed a four year 15 million deal with the team and there are two years left on that deal and now Jackson will try and maneuver a trade for the 29 year old. The ESPN report says that Jackson may look to sign Steve Blake, who is a free agent, as he was a point guard with the Lakers that has played for Jackson and understands how he wants the team system to run. Felton was awful last season along with most of the Knicks team and now he could be on his way out town. The Knicks have not actively shopped center Tyson Chandler, but reports have the Dallas Mavericks interested in bringing back their former star and that could be an option for New York to clear salary to sign back Anthony when he opts out of his contract this summer.
The situation with Anthony is an interesting one for Jackson and the Knicks, as he is an elite scorer and could get a max contract from a team, but with the Knicks being at least a year or two away from contending, he may decide to sign elsewhere. Anthony started his career with the Nuggets and this was the first time he missed the playoffs as a pro and that could be a factor for what he decides to do this offseason. Reports from ESPN.com and SI.com write that the Chicago Bulls and Houston Rockets will make runs at Anthony this summer and with the salary cap expected to rise a bit, there is a good chance Melo could sign with another franchise.
Felton's future with the team is now up in the air and he will be in court next month to answer charges about an incident involving guns that happened earlier in the season. There is a chance that Felton could end up playing backup point guard next season if Jackson can't trade him and while that may not sit well with the star, based on his play last season it would not be much of a surprise. Blake was with the Lakers last season and averaged six points and five assists and he was traded during the season to the Warriors.
