Phil Jackson is sending a message. He spent all last season watching the New York Knicks fall apart and now he is trying to piece things together, noting no one is safe right now. The first move the new team president made was trading Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton to help with salary cap space. However, he is not done their as he continues to build a team that will entice Carmelo Anthony to re-sign in free agency.
"Well, we want to send a message to all of our players that we are on the move and we are making changes and we are making changes to move forward in the direction that we want to go," Jackson said. "We want to be more aggressive defensively, we want to have a certain sense of offensive alacrity, getting up and down the court and challenging defenses to get back and protect the basket."
Jackson notes that he has spoken to Anthony since making the trade and said the guard was in support of it, seeing the value in adding players like Jose Calderon that were more salary cap friendly. Chandler was signed to a deal that hurt the Knicks' chances of getting marquee free agents this summer instead of waiting for his contract to expire in 2015. With more moves in mind, who is the next to get dealt?
Iman Shumpert is the next likely candidate to pop up in trade rumors. Some Knicks fans might groan at this idea considering he is one of the best young players on the team and could be built around as he develops. Jackson told ESPN's Marc Stein that the Knicks have received calls of interest, but were not prepared to make a move at the moment. The Los Angeles Clippers are keeping a close eye on the guard as are the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Another player that could be out is Amar'e Stoudemire. He is another significant cap hit and given his injury history, he is not worth the money. ESPN reported Stoudemire opted in for the final year of his contract, but if New York has a chance to trade him, they will. Jackson is confident the Knicks can put together the right moves to win over Anthony and possibly a few more free agents, but several other deals will be recquired.
