The NY Knicks are hosting the All-Star game in 2015 and Carmelo Anthony plans on using that time to recruit free agents, as names like Marc Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge, Jimmy Butler, Dwyane Wade, Tim Duncan and Paul Millsap all will be in attendance and could be potential targets for New York and Phil Jackson this summer as they try and rebound from a terrible year.
Anthony has been looking much better since dealing with knee issues earlier in the season and he is hoping to woo some players this weekend to convince them to join him in NY. According to the New York Post, the Knicks star said that he hoped to use the All-Star break this year to speak to some players that are hitting free agency about the potential of coming to NY. Anthony said that the Bulls and Joakim Noah did the same to him last year and now it's "his turn" to do it.
Anthony and the Knicks are hoping to get one or two big name players this summer in free agency, but after the way this season has gone, Anthony will need to do some strong convincing. The Knicks have been one of the worst teams in the league and Phil Jackson has admitted that his experiment has failed so far The team traded JR Smith, Iman Shumpert, Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton and they could be getting ready to move Jose Calderon and Pablo Prigioni next.
Gasol is the top target for the Knicks this offseason, according to the NY Daily News, but the team is worried that he will stay in Memphis after his strong season. Gasol is putting up MVP numbers and is leading the team in scoring and if he doesn't hit the market, the Knicks may go hard after Greg Monroe or LaMarcus Aldridge. The Knicks will have money to spend and players like Rajon Rondo, Reggie Jackson and Jimmy Butler also could be targets.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, the Bulls are planning on matching any offer given to Butler next summer when he is a restricted free agent. The Knicks could go after Jackson, another RFA, if that happens. All this comes as the team is considering buyouts or trades with Andrea Bargnani and Amar'e Stoudemire and decisions on that could be coming very soon. According to ESPN.com, Stoudemire is going to take the next week and the All-Star break to talk about his future and what to do. This year Stoudemire is averaging 12.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, which are significant drop-offs from his career numbers.
Pro Basketball Talk adds that after the way this year went and the age of Anthony, the Knicks may have to find a way to speed up this process of rebuilding. While the team wants to try and sign Kevin Durant in 2016, they may not be able to wait that long to bring in a top free agent, especially with them running the risk he won't sign there, which is likely. While Durant probably stays in Oklahoma City, his next best bet is likely the Wizards over the Knicks anyway. The Knicks have 10 wins this season.
