NBA Trade Rumors: Knicks Have Themselves to Blame for Amar'e Stoudemire Mess

Well, we know for sure that Amar'e Stoudemire is not going to be traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.

It sounded like a sweet idea when John Finger of CSNPhilly.com reported it, but the notion crumbled when a team source told the Philadelphia Inquirer that the rumor was "completely false."

This doesn't mean the New York Knicks aren't shopping Stoudemire, though. On the contrary, ESPN's Chad Ford wrote in a Wednesday chat that the Knicks are "shopping Amar'e hard."

The problem is that Stoudemire's contract is not insured, which is a pretty major issue seeing as how he has a history of injuries. And even if Stoudemire isn't dealing with something major, it's not uncommon for him to come down with some nagging injury or another.

Stoudemire's uninsured contract would be a concern if he were making, say, $5 million a year. He's making roughly $20 million a year.

Steve Kyler of HOOPSWORLD said it best when he wrote, "Amar’e may be the popular name to toss out, but the truth of the matter is his contract is all but untradeable. Only a small handful of owners could afford that deal on a good day, let alone if injury strikes."

If it's true that the Knicks are indeed shopping Stoudemire hard, they're going to get nibbles. Getting a bite is going to be much harder.

On the one hand, you can sympathize. When the Knicks signed Stoudemire in the summer of 2010, they probably didn't anticipate ever putting him on the trading block.

On the other hand, the Knicks should have anticipated this. If they had, they would have realized how screwed they would be on account of Stoudemire's uninsured contract.

But oh well. This time last year, Stoudemire's contract looked like a steal, as he was in the process of having an NBA season. The Knicks were still terrible, but Stoudemire was everything they hoped he would be.

And then the Knicks screwed it all up by bringing in Carmelo Anthony. Stoudemire hasn't been himself since that trade went through, and it's clear now that they're not exactly compatible players. The right point guard could fix everything, but good luck with that. The Knicks don't have the assets to trade for one, and they may not have the funds to sign one this offseason.

It's therefore not exactly a surprise that the Knicks are shopping Stoudemire. If they can't find proper support for their dynamic duo, they might as well break it up.

The Knicks have apparently opted to accomplish the feat by trading Stoudemire, but that will be easier said than done. If the Knicks are unable to swing a deal, they'll be able to look back and see pretty clearly that their own foolish decisions led them to their current predicament. Their assorted gambles have failed.

Unfortunately for them, they're probably going to have to let it ride.