The New York Knicks may be looking at a number of guards they could trade for, before the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 18, 2016. While any of those options remain a possibility, they could also look to trading away one of their most popular players. Rumor has it that Carmelo Anthony could be on his way out and hey may end up landing with the Orlando Magic.
Currently, the Knicks are in 11th place in the Eastern Conference race for the playoffs and have a record of 17-19. The team is not heading in a good direction in a particularly weak conference, and Anthony has already expressed his disappointment and frustration , as Newsday reported.
“Losing is frustrating. I don’t want this to be an ongoing situation or an ongoing feeling where we have to come into the locker room and explain why we’re losing basketball games. Things that happened on the court, I probably thought should’ve went my way. That can be frustrating at times. It seems like it’s just starting to become repetitive now.”
That was a month ago when the team was 10-12, but things have improved over the last month.
ESPN states that Anthony is trusting his teammates now and believe that they can make plays without him having to be a part of them. Still, things are’t going overly great for anyone on the team. Anthony is averaging 21.6 points-per-game, his lowest since his second season in the NBA.
Anthony signed a huge five-year/$124 million deal with the Knicks in the summer of 2014 so he won’t be a free agent for quite some time. The thing is, he will be 32 in May and the Knicks may want to see about starting to rebuild if they don’t see the playoffs as a logical possibility this season.
Youth Health Mag reports that the Orlando Magic were looking to sign Anthony in free agency when he ultimately decided to return to the Knicks. Still, they may be in the picture in trying to bring him to Florida.
The Magic are currently seen as one of the teams in the NBA that could offer up the best package of players for Anthony and his inflated contract. With the advancement of other players, the Magic could possibly look to trade away Victor Oladipo, Tobias Harris, and even some draft picks.
Oladipo is averaging 12.5 points-per-game this season and that’s his lowest since he entered the NBA in 2013. Elfrid Payton has been starting at point guard due to his offensive production being better, but Oladipo is better on the defensive side of the ball.
Another thing that the Knicks may find very attractive in a trade with the Magic is that of draft picks.
New York has not a single pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, and if they’re going to start rebuilding, they need some. The Magic currently have three picks in next year’s draft with one in the first round and two in the second round.
With a little more than a month until the NBA trade deadline, the Knicks may hold out to see how another week or two of the season goes. If the team begins to pick up some wins and get over.500, then they may end up holding onto Carmelo Anthony.
If things take a downward turn, expect the trade rumors to seriously heat up.
Carmelo Anthony has been the heart and soul of the New York Knicks for quite some time now, but he’s not getting any younger. The Orlando Magic have the “younger” that the Knicks may be looking for in Victor Oladipo and others, but it all is in making it work with the money and possible draft picks for a good trade.
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