The NY Knicks have been terrible this season and they may look at trade deals at the deadline to set up for free agency, as players like Jose Calderon, Andrea Bargnani or Amar'e Stoudemire could be moved for Phil Jackson and this comes as the team is targeting Jahlil Okafor in the 2015 draft and battling with the Philadelphia 76ers for the top overall pick.
The Knicks have no guarantee that they will win the lottery if they have the worst record, but they are doing a good job of trying. The team is 6-36 this season and they come into the game on Wednesday against the Sixers after snapping a 16 game losing streak against the Pelicans. According to ESPN.com, the team is considering trades with Jose Calderon and Bargnani and they could release Stoudemire in a buyout if no one looks to trade for him.
Carmelo Anthony does not want to shut things down and the Knicks are hoping that he can help woo some free agents come next summer. The team wants Rajon Rondo, Goran Dragic or Marc Gasol and if they get Okafor, it could make things easier. Okafor is the presumed top overall pick from Duke and he has been having a strong season for the Blue Devils. The Knicks plan has been derailed a bit, as they knew they would be bad, but not this bad and now expectations may have to be tempered. Either way, the team likely will sell a bit at the deadline.
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.
According to Pro Basketball Talk and ESPN New York, the team has a number of directions they may go the rest of this season and this summer, as they can target free agents in the summer of 2015 and they can also set up to make a run at Kevin Durant in 2016. Ian Begley at ESPN writes that the Knicks should be in line to have at least $20 million in cap space and while they are hoping to bring in Marc Gasol, there's a good chance he stays in Memphis, so it's likely they will have to look at other free agent options.
Begley writes that Jackson could be an option for the team, as he will be a solid free agent but one that comes in at a manageable price compared to Gasol or Rajon Rondo, another Knicks target. The Knicks freed up money by trading JR Smith and with Andrea Bargnani and Stoudemire coming off the books they have the chance to chase free agents. Jackson will likely be a restricted free agent this summer and with the Knicks able to spend, they could outbid the Thunder for Jackson.
