The NY Knicks may look at trade deals this season and Iman Shumpert could be an option to move along with Amar'e Stoudemire, Andrea Bargnani or JR Smith and they are options over Tim Hardaway Jr, Jose Calderon and Shane Larkin for Phil Jackson, as he thinks those names can help contribute to the offense for Carmelo Anthony as the team tries to get back to the playoffs.
The Knicks come into the season after winning just 37 games last year and they missed the playoffs in a bad eastern conference. Jackson has made some smart moves already and the team upgraded big time from Raymond Felton, trading him for Jose Calderon. According to ESPN.com, the Knicks may consider moving Shumpert this season if the right deal comes along, as he is set to get an extension this year. Shumpert is eligible, but ESPN.com is reporting that the team has not worked on a deal yet with his reps.
The Knicks feel comfortable letting Shumpert hit restricted free agency, as they would like to keep their options open next summer when free agents hit the market. Shumpert has a deadline in a couple days and it's likely the two sides will not agree by then. The Knicks also may reconsider what to do with Shane Larkin to keep cap space open.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, the Knicks may not pick up Larkin's third year option and this comes after he was acquired in the trade with the Mavericks. The Knicks won't save all that much and his salary at $1,675,320 isn't a lot, but the team wants to keep it as clear as possible. Larkin could develop into a nice player and he could be worth keeping, but Jackson and the Knicks have bigger targets. The team likely will go after Marc Gasol next summer, while Rajon Rondo and Greg Monroe also could be options depending on how this season plays out with Carmelo Anthony and Derek Fisher together for the first time.
Anthony has spoken about the new triangle offense heading into the season and he said that he is happy with his role and that even if he scores less than he has the past couple seasons, he wants the team in the playoffs again. Anthony has been a scoring champion and the runner up in the past two seasons and now in the triangle offense it is likely that he will be taking fewer shots. Anthony is the focal point of the offense, but with the new system he will have less pressure on him and with Derek Fisher coming in, he will know how to implement things after playing in the triangle for so long.
The NY Knicks are coming into this season with eyes on next summer and Marc Gasol as a free agent target and in the meantime, trade rumors may come up involving Iman Shumpert, Amar'e Stoudemire, Andrea Bargnani, JR Smith or Pablo Prigioni, as the team wants to clear cap space for the summer so Phil Jackson can chase Rajon Rondo, Marc Gasol or LaMarcus Aldridge. Phil has some options on the horizon.
