The New York Knicks are tanking their season whether Phil Jackson wants to admit it or not. At this point there is no saving the team who has just five wins on the year and is in the middle of the worst losing streak in franchise history. At this point all Jackson can do is trade as many players as he can which is a slow moving process. Things are so bad that if certain trades fail, the Knicks will resort to simply releasing players instead.
After trading away Tyson Chandler, Raymond Felton, JR Smith and Iman Shumpert while releasing Samuel Dalembert, ESPN's Marc Stein is reporting that both Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani could be next. Money is the ultimate goal with this deal, not wins. Calderon currently has two years and $15.1 million left on his contract while Bargnani has an expiring contract worth $11.5 million. Those are not easy contracts to move, but Calderon might be gone before Bargnani.
Stein reports that if the Knicks cannot escalate deals for either player, Bargnani will be released. The former No. 1 overall draft pick has been useless this season, playing just 22 minutes all year thanks to hamstring and calf injuries. There is little to no trade interest surrounding his name as many teams are staying clear away from his contract and lack of playing. Because the Knicks are aiming to save as much salary cap space as possible, Bargnani is a clear candidate to be waived.
Question marks also surround Amar'e Stoudemire who has been inconsistent on the court thanks to injuries this year. The forward is currently at the end of his five-year, $100 million contract he signed in free agency and admits that the rebuilding process has taken a toll on him and he is not sure how long he can last in it.
"It's a very difficult situation at this point,'' Stoudemire said, via the New York Post. "It's a hard decision for me to make. My loyalty has always been with New York and the Knicks. So it will be tough right now to make a decision as far as going somewhere else at this point. It's something I have to think about. I'm sure over time I'll sit and think about the best scenario for myself. For now, I know I've been through injuries throughout my career. I have to make sure I'm able to be strong enough and prepared to play for a team contending for a championship. New York is trying to rebuild. Hopefully that will be sooner than later.''
Stoudemire could be waived after the trade deadline as well if he is that unhappy. Jackson will seek a trade first, but his contract makes him the least attractive deal of the bunch. Stoudemire might want to play for a contender, but his stats and injuries do not help his case for the future.
