With the NBA season closer than not, there are still some trade rumors circulating before teams finalize their rosters. At the center of it all are teams like the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics. Both teams are still looking to make upgrades before the year begins, but prefer to do it via trades and not free agent signings considering the lack of talent left on the market. After rumors circulated about the two teams striking a deal together, the move seems unlikely before the deadline.
The Knicks have too many shooting guards. The team has JR Smith, Iman Shumpert and Tim Hardaway Jr as their main players and likely can only start one of them in Derek Fisher's new offense. Phil Jackson has spent most of the season attempting to shop at least one of them in trade, but has come up short every time. Would the Boston Celtics be interested in helping out?
According to NBA beat writer Chuck Myron, reports that the Celtics and Knicks are negotiating a Shumpert, Jeff Green player swap is untrue. There are multiple reasons this trade was dead before it started. Salary cap is the main hurdle in this type of deal. The Knicks plan on making a huge run next offseason and want as much free space as possible to sign talent. Green has a player option of $9.2 million for 2015. It seems extremely likely he will take that option considering how much it is worth.
Also, the Knicks do not necessarily need another power forward on the roster. Green would easily be an upgrade on the roster after he averaged 16.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game last season. He is young and healthy, the exact opposite of Amar'e Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani. However, the Knicks do not want to take on Green and that contract when they are still dealing with the cap-killers of Stoudemire and Bargnani. The Knicks have been attempting to trade both players which would open the door for a deal with Green. However, according to Myron, there is not a single team in the league looking to take on either Stoudemire and Bargnani meaning the Knicks will be stuck with both for the year.
