Knicks seeking to make more trades
The New York Knicks are actively trying to trade veterans Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani as part of their ongoing roster clear-out, according to league sources.
But sources stressed to ESPN.com that trying to trade away Amar'e Stoudemire is not part of the club's current plans.
The Knicks recently dealt J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert to Cleveland and waived center Samuel Dalembert to start the process of disassembling a roster mired in the worst start in franchise history at 5-35.
Knicks president Phil Jackson, in publicly taking the blame for the team's dreadful record under rookie coach Derek Fisher, said Saturday that "no one should be surprised" if the club continues to reshape its roster through deals prior to the Feb. 19 trade deadline.
But sources maintain that the Knicks are not looking to move Stoudemire and, at least for now, intend to keep him for the rest of the season. That could lead to Stoudemire, who has relished his time with the Knicks despite the club's struggles, re-signing with them over the summer at a reduced rate. The 32-year-old former All-Star, who has been plagued by knee injuries in recent years, is playing out the final year of his current contract worth $23.4 million.
Calderon, meanwhile, has no shortage of admirers around the league despite his struggles this season, averaging a mere 9.2 points per game on 40 percent shooting. But the two years left on his contract after this season -- worth $15.1 million -- could make it difficult to move the 33-year-old Spaniard, who arrived in New York in late June as the Knicks' foremost return in the Tyson Chandler deal with Dallas.
Sources say Bargnani is a candidate to be waived next month if New York can't find a deal for the former No. 1 overall pick and his $11.5 million expiring contract.
Bargnani has played just 22 minutes this season due to hamstring and calf injuries and has produced little as a Knick since New York acquired him from Toronto before the 2013-14 season, making his involvement in a trade unlikely unless his expiring contract helps facilitate a deal financially.
Jackson has made it clear that he is committed to building through the draft and free agency and has spoken several times this season about changing the culture of the franchise. The trade of Smith to Cleveland, which required the inclusion of Shumpert, was evidence of that.
The trade with the Cavs netted a 2019 second-round pick and generated two potentially useful trade exceptions worth roughly $6 million and $2.5 million. The exceptions could help facilitate additional trades prior to the deadline.
