The New York Knicks finally have their new head coach in Derek Fisher and now must start focusing on free agency with July 1 quickly approaching. With limited cap space and assets, the Knicks are limited in the moves they can make. With Carmelo Anthony being the priority, the team is also looking for an upgrade at the point guard position with players like Raymond Felton on the outs.
There are several big point guards that may or may not be available for trading, but New York appears to be taking themselves out of the running for a few of them. Rumors have been swirling that Kyrie Irving will be made available after he potentially turns down a max contract from the Cleveland Cavaliers. Owner Dan Gilbert has already made note that several teams have called with interest regarding a trade. However, the Knicks are likely not going to be one of them.
According to Bill Ingram of Basketball Insiders, the Knicks will not seek a trade for Irving despite earlier reports. Ingram writes that while New York would be interested in Irving if he were a free agent, the team simply lacks the package to offer in a deal. New York is without first-round draft picks for the next few seasons and could only offer up players like Tyson Chandler or Amar'e Stoudemire to make a deal worth the Cavaliers time. It simply will not happen.
At this point, New York's best shot at getting a big-named player is signing one off the market once a few players are traded away. With extra cap space, New York could go after someone like Kyle Lowry, a player they attempted to trade for during the season. Ingram writes that the Toronto Raptors fully expect to re-sign Lowry for the long-term, but several teams will trade and change that. He will not come cheap and New York will not overpay, but expect the team to at least negotiate some kind of contract.
They could grab someone like Eric Bledsoe who is expected to get some attention on the market. Bledsoe will fetch a contract like Lowry. Both players will demand a lot of money and the Knicks must decide whether or not it is worth it. The other option is a trade for someone like Jeremy Lin who will not require a high return package. The Houston Rockets are down-right desperate to trade away Lin and his inflated contract. New York does not necessarily want to take that money on, but Lin becomes a free agent in a year and could be a solid one-year rental before the 2015 free agency spree.
