The NY Knicks have had a tough start to the season and now Phil Jackson may look at making trade deals to bring Carmelo Anthony support in the future, as names like Amar'e Stoudemire, Iman Shumpert, Tim Hardaway, Jose Calderon, JR Smith and Andrea Bargnani could be targets and this comes as New York is expected to chase Rajon Rondo, Greg Monroe and Marc Gasol in free agency next summer.
Anthony and the Knicks have not played well to start the season and they have only four wins over the first 24 games of the year. Last season the team started 3-13 and missed the playoffs and now it looks like they will moss out again. According to Pro Basketball Talk, Jackson may look at different trades at the deadline this season, but his most important priority is keeping the salary cap in order as the team heads into next summer.
The free agent class next summer is fairly stacked and that group is very important for the Knicks, as they are on a five year plan with Jackson in the fold and need to show major improvement in year two. The team knew they would not contend for a championship this season, but it's likely Jackson and Derek Fisher did not expect things to get off to such a bad start. Anthony has been playing well, but some teammates have called him out as being selfish, including Tim Hardaway Jr. according to Chris Broussard at ESPN and the two nearly came to blows after a game last week. Check here for more on the battle from Broussard at ESPN.
Either way, the Knicks have to find a way to improve over the next year and Jackson could look at making trades to acquire draft picks or young talent moving forward. Jackson wants to keep the cap as wide open as possible and that is why the team did not sign Iman Shumpert to an extension. The team has Shumpert heading into restricted free agency and there is a chance they could trade him if they do not plan on re-signing him. Stoudemire is in the final year of his contract, as is Bargnani, but Bargnani has been dealing with injury issues this season and teams may not want to take that risk.
Pro Basketball Talk reports that the Knicks will be going after Marc Gasol in free agency and while they once though they had a good chance at landing him, it's unlikely he leaves Memphis. Gasol is considered the top target for the Knicks, but according to the New York Post, the poor play of the Knicks coupled with the emergence of the Grizzlies as one of the best teams in the west likely will keep Gasol out of the Big Apple, even if he leaves Memphis.
The Knicks are 4-19 on the season and in fourth place in the Atlantic division and if they don't start turning things around soon, they will be looking at a lottery draft pick over the playoffs. The team has lost nine games in a row and 11 of the last 12, with the only win coming against the lowly Sixers. Anthony needs to play better overall and the team now doesn't have a victory in the month of December. The team hits the road for the majority of their games coming up and they have tough matchups with the Bulls, Blazers, Wizards, Clippers and Raptors on the schedule.
