The NY Knicks pulled off a trade for JR Smith and JR Smith and now Phil Jackson may look at making more deals, as names like Amar'e Stoudemire, Andrea Bargnani, Tim Hardaway, Jose Calderon and Shane Larkin could also be on the trading block heading into the deadline after the Cavaliers and Thunder pulled off the three-team deal.
The Knicks trade was major news, as the Cavaliers acquired both Iman Shumpert and JR Smith in the deal, while Dion Waiters was sent to the Oklahoma City Thunder from Cleveland. According to ESPN.com, draft picks changed hands, with the Knicks getting a second rounder from Cleveland in 2019 after the Cavaliers acquired a protected future first round pick from the Thunder. ESPN also reports that LeBron James was consulted about playing with Smith before the trade went down.
The Knicks clearly are building up towards next year and beyond, as they cleared some cap space and acquired picks along with Alex Kirk and Lou Amundson from the Cavaliers and Lance Thomas from Oklahoma City in the trade. Shumpert is heading towards restricted free agency and has been a target for teams for a couple years, while the Knicks have tried hard to trade Smith since last summer. The Knicks are hoping to sway at least one major free agent to join Carmelo Anthony next summer, with names like Marc Gasol, Rajon Rondo, LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Monroe as likely targets for Jackson and NY.
The Knicks have simply been terrible this season and while the team was expecting to be bad, this has been a very tough campaign for all involved. Carmelo Anthony is dealing with knee issues and could shut things down, Phil Jackson is having some of his moves questioned at each turn, while Derek Fisher has had to answer questions about being overwhelmed as a first year coach. Chances are the Knicks will be at their worst during this five year run with Anthony, Jackson and Fisher right now, but the play of the team is not giving too much hope for the future.
The plan for Jackson is to trim down the salary cap for the summer for 2015 and 2016 when a number of high profile free agents hit the market, including Marc Gasol and Rajon Rondo. Kevin Durant can be a free agent in 2016 and the Knicks will be interested in having cap space to sign him until he decides what his future will be. Rondo was traded to the Mavericks so they will be the favorites to keep him next summer, while Gasol reportedly will consider the Knicks and Lakers, but is likely to stay in Memphis.
The Knicks come into January at fifth in the Atlantic division and they are just 5-32 on the season after losing to the Grizzlies. The team has the Wizards and Rockets next on the schedule and that is a brutal stretch for a team struggling as much as the Knicks are. The Knicks are ranked 29th in the league in scoring this season with just 93 points per game and the defense is allowing 102 points per game. The rebounding ranks second to last in the NBA and now the team is limited after moving JR Smith and Iman Shumpert.
