When Phil Jackson was first addressing the plans for the New York Knicks offseason, he noted that really any player could be sent packing. Carmelo Antony is the offseason priority for the team and most of the remaining players on the roster are aware they are not safe. Raymond Felton has already been informed that he could be sent packing and many believe JR Smith could be next. However, Phil Jackson might be thinking otherwise.
Smith had a roller coaster season with the Knicks. After earning Sixth Man of the Year a season ago, he started the year missing time for knee surgery and a suspension. He then failed to play well as a starter while continuing to be a headache with his off and on court antics. It looked like the Knicks were ready to move past him, but Jackson is seeing things differently.
NBA beat writer Chuck Myron is reporting that while New York is not happy with some of the immaturity Smith has displayed over the past year, they believe he still has talent to offer the team and is not likely going to be traded this season. There no doubting that when focused, Smith is a very talented player, but the issue is his antics have hurt his value. Even if the Knicks were looking to send Smith away, they might not find a favorable trade that gets them something in return.
Jackson is going to have to trade someone if the Knicks are going to retain Anthony. Tyson Chandler is likely the best piece. He could be paired with a younger player like Iman Shumpert in order to get something great in return. Amar'e Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani are also on the chopping block with their large contracts.
"It has to be part of a discussion," Jackson said, via ESPN.com. "But if we get back what we think we need to fill out the character and the type of player that we want to have, we're going to go forward with it anyway. We're not the only team that [is] going to be chasing these players [in 2015]. We have to understand that. We might feel that we have one of the best places in the world to play, but people are susceptible to their backgrounds and where they're from and families, etc. We understand that, chasing free agency, this team has been through it."
While Jackson notes that Anthony is necessary for the Knicks, he is not giving him some kind of inflated deal. The president of operations is hopeful that the guard takes a pay cut in order to help the Knicks improve across the board. Even with a pay cut, someone has to get dealt.
