Phil Jackson is admitting the obvious. The New York Knicks team president told the media that the team is not in a good position to make trade deals at the deadline. The Knicks lack assets to deal along with draft picks meaning getting a good trade in the middle of the year will be hard to come by. While Jackson would love to upgrade the team's point guard situation and make a run at the playoffs, that is proving easier said than done while Jimmer Fredette could be the likely target.
"Do we sit in a really favorable spot? Probably not," Jackson said, via ESPN.com. "We don't have a tremendous amount of favorable trade items that are on our roster. Like any team looking to improve themselves, we are open to discussion. We have to be. That is just the way of the nature of the game."
The Knicks continue to get linked to point guard trades before the deadline. The team has explored deals for Jeff Teague, Brandon Jennings, Jamal Crawford and even Mike Conley who is also a target in free agency. So far none of those deals have gone into in-depth discussions as the Knicks know the price tags are too high for them to meet.
That is why the latest report linking New York to Ricky Rubio of the Minnesota Timberwolves is also untrue. According to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, Rubio is being made available as the Timberwolves do not look poised for the playoffs. This is not the first time the Knicks have been linked to Rubio. The point guard is averaging just 9.7 points and 8.6 assists this season. He will come very high-priced and making this work in terms of contracts would be tough for New York. The chances this stays a rumor like the rest are pretty high.
That is where Fredette comes into play. Right now, the Knicks own the rights to Fredette who is lighting it up in the D-League. The shooting guard is averaging 22.6 points and 4.8 assists with the Westchester Knicks. He was recently named the MVP of the D-League All-Star game. This must be getting the attention of Jackson. While Fredette has struggled to find his niche in the NBA, he would be a huge upgrade for New York who lack the resources to trade. He could easily be signed to a low-risk contract with the potential of bringing in the production needed for the Knicks. Fredette told the media he will keep doing what he is doing, but he is hopeful of a return.
