Oh, Knicks.
Some bad things you believe will get better. The New York Knicks aren’t one of those bad things.
Leading up and into the Feb. 20 trade deadline, the Knicks were unable to broker a deal, though not for lack of trying. Iman Shumpert, the injury-prone third-year guard who routinely falls out of favor with Knicks coach Mike Woodson and owner James Dolan, was dangled in just about every negotiation imaginable to no avail.
For the most part, we were left thinking other teams were responsible. No one was willing to meet the Knicks’ asking price for Shumpert or no one wanted him. That was the prevailing sentiment.
Until now.
Writing for ESPN.com, Chris Broussard says the Knicks rejected a potential trade that would have landed Shumpert with the Oklahoma City Thunder:
ven after Shumpert suffered a strained left MCL in a Knicks loss last Wednesday, Oklahoma City was willing to part with this season’s first-round draft pick to land the Knicks shooting guard, according to sources with knowledge of the trade discussions. The Knicks, however, refused to do the deal because they weren’t getting a current player in return who could help them make a push for this season’s Eastern Conference playoffs. At the end of the day, they deemed Shumpert more valuable than the 28th pick (or whatever low pick OKC gets) of the draft, sources said.
The Knicks’ priority all along in trading Shumpert was to attach Raymond Felton’s contract to the deal and get a solid point guard in return. That nearly happened with the Clippers.
While Shumpert’s injury did not deter the Thunder, it did kill the Knicks’ hopes of sending him to Los Angeles. Clippers coach Doc Rivers really wanted Shumpert, sources say, and Rivers was willing to do a deal that would have sent Darren Collison, Matt Barnes, Byron Mullens and two second-round picks to New York for Shumpert, Felton and Beno Udrih. But Clippers owner Donald Sterling and others within the organization were hesitant to bet on Shumpert after seeing him go down in Wednesday’s game at New Orleans, according to sources.
Because, Knicks.
Knicks are going to Knick around until there isn’t no more Knick-ing around to do.
For what it’s worth, Grantland’s Zach Lowe—one of the NBA’s most reliable insiders—corroborated Broussard’s findings, so we’re not going off one writer’s hunch or anonymous source. This actually happened.
And you know what? That’s a good thing. At the very least, it’s not a bad thing.
Oklahoma City’s pick is fated to finish in the bottom 25. Even in this uber-deep 2014 draft class there’s no guarantee the Knicks find someone better or equal to Shumpert. Remember, he has potential. The Knicks just have a propensity for misusing him and affinity for improperly developing young players.
Because, again, Knicks.
What really gets me here is the Knicks didn’t want a first-rounder from Oklahoma City—that they could have used as part of a bigger deal this coming summer when trades will, you know, actually happen—but they tried to pry Darren Collison from the Los Angeles Clippers and failed.
Say what?
Even if the Clippers were assuming Raymond Felton’s contract, the Knicks could hardly devalue Shumpert any more than they did there. Felton’s contract really isn’t that bad, especially for a team that will be using him as a backup point guard and not their offense’s distributional lifeline.
But, oh well. Shumpert is still a Knick, though Broussard says his camp was hoping for a trade. How much longer he remains a Knick is up in the air. The NBA draft is fast approaching and the Knicks are bound to use him as trade bait once again.
Who knows, maybe the Boston Celtics will be willing to accept him as part of a package for Rajon Rondo, only to see the Knicks reject said offer and unsuccessfully pursue Nate Wolters of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Because, Knicks.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com.
