The New York Knicks have officially ruled out Carmelo Anthony for the remainder of the season. After battling knee injuries for the first half of the year, the star has been shut down in order to get healthy as the Knicks season is summing up to be a wash this year. With Anthony out, the Knicks must make up scoring production somehow. Some of that will come from within the roster while some might come from a trade that Phil Jackson will push at the deadline.
The NBA trade deadline is just hours away and the Knicks are still seeking one final move to set them up for both the short-term and long-term future. According to ESPN.com, the Knicks are the frontrunner for Goran Dragic. The Los Angeles Lakers have pulled out of the race while the Boston Celtics continue to linger around in hopes of a last-minute deal as well. Dragic reportedly wants to go to either the Lakers or the Knicks and confirmed that he no longer trusts the Phoenix Suns and their front office.
"I don't trust them anymore," Dragic said, via ESPN.com. "To be a point guard, to run the team and have the ball in my hands and try to make plays for others. That's who I am." "Last year was great. This year it's different. Standing in the corner, it's not my game."
Dragic is currently in the middle of a very crowded backcourt with the Suns as both Eric Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas have long-term deals with the team leaving the point guard to battle for minutes. In the final year of his contract, Dragic plans on testing the market where he will be the best available point guard after Rajon Rondo was taken off the market. A number of teams are under the idea that Dragic is their point guard of the future, but the Phoenix Suns might not give up that easily.
According to Yahoo! Sports, the Suns would actually like to keep Dragic for the long-term and trade Thomas who signed a below-value contract last offseason. Could the Knicks make a move for Thomas and only give up someone like Andrea Bargnani? That is unlikely considering Jackson has had his sights set on Dragic for almost a year now, but Thomas would not be a bad get for the team.
The Knicks will move on from Jose Calderon by the offseason. A deal might not come at the deadline, but Jackson will get one in the offseason. Dragic is the ideal long-term point guard and the Knicks will have the money to sign him to a max contract. Anything could happen at the deadline, but Dragic has the attention of everyone.
