The NY Knicks are coming into the season with high expectations and this year Phil Jackson may look at more trade deals, as Amar'e Stoudemire, Iman Shumpert, Andrea Bargnani or JR Smith could be moved to help clear cap space and that would set up the team in free agency to sign names like Eric Bledsoe, Greg Monroe, Marc Gasol, Rajon Rondo or LaMarcus Aldridge in 2015.
The Knicks signed back Carmelo Anthony and Phil Jackson has added a nice amount of talent to the roster through trades and there is a chance he could do that again later down the line this season. According to Pro Basketball Talk, the team shopped Iman Shumpert and JR Smith over the summer and the team also will be looking at a deal for Stoudemire at the trade deadline this season.
The report says that the Sixers could be an option for Stoudemire, as they have the cap space to take the hit without any issues and since it's an expiring deal, it could be attractive for the team. The Knicks have a glut of guards and that is why Jackson shopped Shumpert and Smith and Derek Fisher will have to figure out the best way to rotate all those guys in.
Jackson has made some smart moves this summer already, trading away Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton for solid options in Jose Calderon, Shane Larkin and Samuel Dalembert. Tyson Chandler is a great player, but he regressed for the Knicks last season and Felton was just terrible at point guard and adding Calderon is a major upgrade. The team has shopped Pablo Prigioni over Larkin, as Larkin is much younger and is under team control for longer.
The Knicks were terrible last season, but they have put together a solid roster and they surely should be better than they were in 2013-14. The team opened with a 3-13 record and it was very hard to climb out of that, even in the terrible eastern conference. The Knicks now have the chance to get back to the playoffs and while the east will be tough with the Cavaliers, Bulls and Miami Heat all looking good coming into the season. The Knicks won just 37 games last season and that led to Jackson bringing in Derek Fisher for Mike Woodson and while Woodson did a solid job for the Knicks, it was time for the team to make a change.
The Knicks actually have the chance to build something for the first time in years and that is due to the fact that Jackson is in the fold and James Dolan may be taking a step back. Jackson, Anthony and Fisher are all in on five year deals and that mean they have time to get the team right and as long as it doesn't go disastrously this season, the team should be on the right track. Anthony has a new scheme to learn and the team should benefit from having Fisher in the fold, as he was a disciple of Jackson's and ran his offense for years in Los Angeles. The Knicks won't be champions this season, but within five years they could challenge for a title.
