With a new head coach in place, the New York Knicks must now figure out how to handle a postseason where they have limited cash resources and no first-round draft picks. Derek Fisher remains confident that the Knicks will contend for a title next season, but they have a lot of work to get done before that statement can become a reality. With Carmelo Anthony a priority, trades are in the team's future. So who stays and who goes?
According to Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders, Iman Shumpert could be the first player sent packing and a deal would happen soon. With the NBA Draft just around the corner, the Knicks are trying to figure out how to acquire a pick and fast. Hamilton reports that Shumpert is being shopped before the draft with a pick in mind for a return price. The team could outright buy a draft pick from a team, but they prefer to acquire one via trade instead.
Shumpert almost got traded midseason to the Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder, but the Knicks backed out of both deals in the final hour. There is still interest in Shumpert with the offseason approaching and the Knicks believe they can put together a favorable trade for him. The Thunder and Clippers could still be interested in the young player and help New York get a late first-round pick.
The next player gone could be Amar'e Stoudemire. The forward has opted to pick up his player option and return to New York to finish out his five-year, $100 million deal. He will make $23.4 million next season. This is a contract the Knicks are ready to get rid of. The trade decision could come down to either Tyson Chandler or Stoudemire as both are big hits to the salary cap space. Stoudemire is simply not the player he was when the Knicks signed him. His individual stats have gone from bad to worse. Chandler remains a strong threat on defense and has a better health history than the forward.
All of these moves are efforts towards retaining Anthony. The Knicks are attempting to clear cap space to sign the guard along with someone that can help win a championship. While Fisher intends to recruit Kevin Durant in 2016, players like Rajon Rondo, Kyle Lowry and Eric Bledsoe are targets now either by trade or signing.
