NY Knicks Rumors: Marc Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Monroe 2015 Free Agent Targets For Carmelo Anthony with Jahlil Okafor In Draft?

The NY Knicks are hosting the 2015 All-Star game and many think that it's good time for Carmelo Anthony to recruit free agents like Marc Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Monroe and Jimmy Butler and this comes as the team is eyeing Jahlil Okafor in the draft along with some major free agency moves this summer as Phil Jackson tried to build the team.

The Knicks have been terrible this season and with Anthony likely shutting things down after the break, it's time for the team to look forward to next summer. Pro Basketball talk reports that the Knicks are planning to go after big names on the market, including Rajon Rondo, Marc Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Monroe and Goran Dragic. While the team may not be able to sign those big names, they feel they have the cap space and the ability to compete with their teams on the market.

All this comes as the team is heading towards the draft lottery and they are hoping to get the number one pick. Okafor is a freshman from Duke and he is leading the Blue Devils in scoring. Okafor is considered to be the top prospects in the draft and should be the number one pick. The Knicks would love to consider him and they are hoping to end up as the bottom team in the league to get the best chance at winning the lottery.

Gasol is the top target for the Knicks this offseason, according to the NY Daily News, but the team is worried that he will stay in Memphis after his strong season. Gasol is putting up MVP numbers and is leading the team in scoring and if he doesn't hit the market, the Knicks may go hard after Greg Monroe or LaMarcus Aldridge. The Knicks will have money to spend and players like Rajon Rondo, Reggie Jackson and Jimmy Butler also could be targets.

According to Pro Basketball Talk, the Bulls are planning on matching any offer given to Butler next summer when he is a restricted free agent. The Knicks could go after Jackson, another RFA, if that happens. All this comes as the team is considering buyouts or trades with Andrea Bargnani and Amar'e Stoudemire and decisions on that could be coming very soon.

Pro Basketball Talk adds that after the way this year went and the age of Anthony, the Knicks may have to find a way to speed up this process of rebuilding. According to ESPN.com, Stoudemire is going to take the All-Star break to talk about his future and what to do. This year Stoudemire is averaging 12.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, which are significant drop-offs from his career numbers.

Monroe is not looking for a trade and with how bad the Knicks have been, it's unclear if he will consider signing with the team in the offseason. The Knicks reportedly will target Gasol, but with the season he is having along with the Grizzlies overall as a team, Memphis remains the favorites to keep him. With Rondo getting traded and Gasol potentially staying along with LaMarcus Aldridge staying in Portland, the free agent class of 2015 is looking less and less exciting for NY.