Knicks Rumors: New York Must Get Rid of Amar'e Stoudemire's Bloated Contract

The New York Knicks have a problem: They have two massive contracts in Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony, and they don't have a lot of room to improve around them.

They are somewhat redundant offensively, as they are both "finishers" more than facilitators. In old western terms, this court ain't big enough for the both of them. It's why the Knicks are losing in spite of legitimate star power on the court. 

Another part of the problem is that they don't have the flexibility to get a long-term point guard. Even if Davis does work out this year when he returns, it's a stop-gap. 

There are reports that Philadelphia is looking to acquire Stoudemire, and the Knicks should seriously consider making that move. 

One trade that would work well for both teams is for the Knicks to send Stoudemire to Philadelphia for Elton Brand and Jrue Holiday. This would give the Sixers what they want: a bona fide go to scorer. The price might seem a tad steep because Holiday is a popular player and is a very good player, but he's not an elite player. They get the best player in the deal, and they're trading from a strength to fill a weakness.

The Knicks accomplish two things in the trade: They get a better defensive player and rebounder at their power forward spot and one who scores better at the rim. Brand shoots .750 at the rim to Stoudemire's .670. He and Chandler would present a formidable two-way frontcourt. 

While his contract is sizable, it expires in two years and would give the Knicks some cap space.

They would also get Holiday, who is a nice young point guard that plays well on both sides of the ball but isn't a high usage player, so there wouldn't be contesting for the ball with Anthony.

Holiday is good at creating shots for teammates, though. Having him lead the offense would give Anthony more opportunity to create more shots off the ball. Most importantly, it would give Mike D'Antoni what he needs to run his offense: an athletic, facilitating point guard. 

The Knicks erred in gambling that Anthony and Stoudemire could work together. If they have an opportunity to get rid of Stoudemire's hefty, uninsured contract, they have to grab it fast.