Iman Shumpert has been hearing trade rumors around his name since last season's deadline. The New York Knicks have come close several times to dealing the shooting guard including moves with the Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Clippers. He survived despite being on a roster that is crowded at the position, but when Phil Jackson stepped in as team president, it was assumed Shumpert was again good as gone. However, Jackson denies the idea that he is not a fan of Shumpert and his style of play.
Despite all of the talk that Shumpert was likely headed out of New York, Jackson told the media that the shooting guard is actually one of his favorite players on the roster.
"Even though Iman Shumpert was in [former Knicks coach] Mike Woodson's dog house for much of last season, he's one of my favorites because he's simply our best on-ball defender at the 2 position and also against the bigger 1s. Once he learns the intricacies of the offense, Iman will be able to create scoring opportunities for his teammates and, unlike last season, he'll know where his own shots will come from," Jackson said, via ESPN.com.
Talk about a complete 180. Just two months ago Shumpert appeared to be a most likely candidate to be traded considering he was still young and athletic and had an expiring contract to his name. Now he is a Jackson favorite. However, that still might not save Shumpert from a mid-season trade. Right now, the Knicks have not even began to touch contract negotiations for the guard. He has a player option in his contract for next season, one most assume is not getting picked up. If the Knicks can put together a solid deal for Shumpert, it will not matter if he is one of Jackson's favorites or not.
Shumpert is currently battling to be one of the five starters for the Knicks when they open their season next week. The shoot guard has to compete with JR Smith, Tim Hardaway Jr and potentially Shane Larkin. Head coach Derek Fisher has not intentions of changing the lineup week-to-week so whoever starts in Game 1 can likely secure that position for the long-term.
