The New York Knicks are trying to get creative if they want to make anymore roster additions this season. After giving Carmelo Anthony a contract just short of the max value, they do not have much financial space to add on any contracts. However, the Knicks still need some depth and Phil Jackson could be targeting a familiar face to bring in.
According to the New York Post, the Knicks are considering bringing on Andrew Bynum either this season or next. It is unclear exactly when New York wants the big man, but his agent, David Lee, confirms that he has been in talks with Jackson about a potential deal.
"If he's healthy, Phil (Jackson) will be interested," Lee said, via the Post. "Phil knew how to tap into Andrew. They got along famously. He would be looking at in a longer-term situation. He's still a baby. If he went to college, he'd be coming off his rookie contract at age 26.''
The Knicks have interest in a healthy Bynum, which is the issue. The center has not been healthy for some time now. Bynum was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Philadelphia 76ers, but sat out the entire 2012-13 season because of knee issues. He then returned to play just 24 games with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Bynum was then traded to the Chicago Bulls and promptly released where he then signed with the Indiana Pacers and played just two games. The last time Bynum was in his prime was with Jackson and the 2011-12 Lakers where he averaged 18.7 points and made the All-Star team.
If the Knicks are going to take on Bynum, especially this season, they must make a trade. The team has been shopping everyone from Amar'e Stoudemire to Andrea Bargnani and JR Smith. So far, none of those efforts have panned out. Stoudemire and Bargnani are signed to contracts that are salary cap killers. Given their decrease in stats and playing time, they are no longer ideal to take on in any kind of deal. Smith admitted he was shocked to still be on the Knicks roster, especially after the team dealt Raymond Felton and Tyson Chandler.
"No. Absolutely not. The way I was playing, I was playing like a person who didn't want to be there," Smith said, via ESPN.com. "Not looking as focused as a person should be in that situation that we were, in the trenches. I wouldn't blame them at all."
If the Knicks are going to pull off any deal for the big men, either Smith, Iman Shumpert or Tim Hardaway Jr will be included, something New York would like to avoid. There is a good chance Jackson just sits on this roster with the intentions of letting the contracts come off before a big 2015 free agency run.
