The NY Knicks made their move with Carmelo this offseason and also traded Tyson Chandler and now Phil Jackson may look at more trades, as Iman Shumpert, Amar'e Stoudemire, JR Smith or Shane Larkin could be traded this offseason or during the season as the team tries to clear cap space and heading into next year, names like Marc Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge and Andrew Bynum could be potential targets.
According to ESPN.com, the Knicks are open to moving Shumpert and Smith since the team has a nice group of guards already, while Stoudemire would be moved if anyone would take on his crazy big contract. The report says that the Knicks may target Marc Gasol in free agency next season and also that Jackson would be open to signing Bynum as long as he is healthy, which obviously is a stretch right now. Bynum may sit out this season and that could open things up for NY next year.
Jackson has already made a couple moves this offseason that Knicks fans like, as he was able to get rid of Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton while also getting solid pieces back. Those players were a drag on the salary cap and were not producing enough on the court and now Jackson could be poised to make other moves. Larkin and Jose Calderon came over in that deal and now it looks like Calderon is the point guard option the team wants to stick with this season, while Larkin could get dealt along with Smith and Shumpert.
The Knicks now have Jose Calderon as their main point guard option and if they keep Shane Larkin he likely will be the backup. The team waived Shannon Brown and he could be a potential pickup later if the team deals Larkin. The team likes what Calderon brings and having a PG like him could be great for Carmelo Anthony. Larkin is a developmental player right now and he averaged 2.8 points last season in limited time.
The Knicks made small moves this offseason as well, including signing Jason Smith to a one year deal. The team as Stoudemire as well as Samuel Dalembert and Andrea Bargnani in the mix at forward and depending on how things shake out, he could get into the rotation. The Knicks need more size and depth down low and he could provide that for the team.
Last season the Knicks went just 37-45 and they opened the season on a terrible streak going 3-13 and they need to avoid that again this year. Jackson is going to give the team as much as he can and with Derek Fisher in on a five year deal, the team now has the chance to build from the ground up once again. Last season they ranked in the top 10 in points allowed per game, but they were just 20th in scoring and now they need some support behind Melo. The team also needs to move the ball better and rebound better and losing Chandler and Felton helps that, as the Knicks were a mess with those dudes last year.
