J.R. Smith Trades the New York Knicks Should Chase
J.R. Smith doesn't seem long for the Big Apple, as Phil Jackson may be making him available to the NBA via trade after a slow start to his latest season with the New York Knicks.
It's not the first time this mercurial 2-guard has been on the block, though, so there's no guarantee he ends up wearing a uniform other than that orange-and-blue New York Knicks one he's donned for the past four seasons, including a lackluster start to this 2014-15 campaign.
"Sources close to the situation said Wednesday that the organization has become increasingly frustrated with Smith's on- and off-the-court transgressions and may feel that a fresh start would be best for all parties," Ian Begley and Marc Stein reported for ESPN.com back in January, squarely in the midst of Smith's tumultuous 2013-14 go-round.
Ten months later, not much has changed.
"I don’t know if that's possible or not," president of basketball operations Phil Jackson explained this offseason about fixing Smith's off-court behavior, per Marc Berman of the New York Post. "He might be one of those guys that's a little bit like Dennis Rodman, that has an outlier kind of side to him. But I'm going to get to know him as we go along, and we'll find a way to either make him a very useful player in our organization, or whatever."
We might already be at the "whatever" part.
"Smith is getting more used to the triangle's flow after a brutal preseason in which he called it 'a struggle,'" Berman reported about the beleaguered 2-guard who has put up a meager 8.2 player efficiency rating through three games, via Basketball-Reference.com.
Between his antics and ineffectiveness, as well as the inherent volatility one has to accept when he's on the roster, a Smith trade would likely be a pennies-on-the-dollar situation for the Knicks. But given the right pennies, it could still be a worthwhile transaction.
The Rumored Chris Copeland Deal
1 of 5
Is Chris Copeland worth Smith in a straight-up deal?
That's debatable in a context-free vacuum, but that swap between the Knicks and Indiana Pacers is the primary rumor associated with Smith for the time being. As Berman reports, it's as much a financial move as anything:
"The club had recent conversations with the Pacers regarding ex-Knick Chris Copeland, according to a league source.
The 6-foot-9 Copeland, whom the Pacers signed in July 2013, has an expiring contract after bolting the Knicks for a two-year, $6 million deal, so he wouldn’t affect their 2015 cap space.
Smith, meanwhile, can opt out of the $6.4 million he has coming in 2015-16, but there’s still a chance he will wait to be a free agent until 2016 when the salary cap is expected to rise dramatically. The Knicks are trying to open up as much cap space as possible and would benefit if Smith opts out or if they trade him for an expiring contract.
"
That money would certainly be nice (more on that pursuit shortly), but let's not forget that Copeland can also be a useful player. The 30-year-old is still only in his third NBA season, so despite his advanced age, there's still some room for growth.
Through the Pacers' first three games, Copeland has taken advantage of injury-created opportunity, playing 30.3 minutes during the average contest and putting up 16.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists. His perimeter shot has worked quite nicely, and the ball isn't sticking in his hands despite his surprisingly high point totals.
The forward would be a nice bit of depth for the Knicks, who don't have a natural small forward they can use to spell Carmelo Anthony. Plus, his per-minute numbers have been superb throughout his brief career in the Association, whether they're aiding the cause of the Knicks or the Pacers.
Not only would his contract expire at the end of the season, but he'd be a useful player in 2014-15 and could potentially be brought back as a bigger part of the future plans.
Kendrick Perkins' Expiring Contract
2 of 5
During the 2013-14 season, Bleacher Report's Dan Favale used a Kendrick Perkins trade as a potential option for the Knicks if they were intent on dealing Smith, and the example holds to this day:
"Think someone like Kendrick Perkins of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
This isn't necessarily a player the Knicks should actually pursue, but someone similar most definitely is.
A guy like Perkins (6.1 PER), who's even more far gone than Smith, allows the Knicks to build a proposal around their troubled shooting guard without being laughed at. The key is finding someone—like Perkins—whose contract doesn't run beyond next season [2014-15].
Any benefit of trading Smith will be purely financial. He has that player option for 2015-16, so flipping him for another player, however terrible, whose contract expires after this season or next ensures their books are wiped as clean as possible for summer 2015.
"
Much like Copeland, Perkins would have value to the Knicks if for no reason other than his contract. If he's a serviceable defensive center who can provide more production than Cole Aldrich, that's just gravy.
The trade in question doesn't have to be for Perkins specifically, just for a player who doesn't have much value in his current digs but is working with a contract that would fit in perfectly with the Knicks' intentions. Perkins is just a perfect example, as the Oklahoma City Thunder are clearly phasing him out in favor of Steven Adams.
Even though New York is proving that last year's bad energy was more fluky than anything else and winning a championship at the conclusion of the current campaign is surely a goal, everything is about next offseason.
Plenty of contracts come off the books, and the Knicks will have the ability to pursue stars like Marc Gasol, ones whose talents seem tailor-made for the triangle offense Derek Fisher is implementing in Madison Square Garden.
The more money Jackson has at his disposal, the better. Expiring contracts are a great way to go about upping the number of available cash on the ledger, especially if Smith's player option is no longer going to be on the books.
Pry Meyers Leonard from the Blazers
3 of 5
If an expiring contract can't be had, why not go for a young big man?
Samuel Dalembert is an aging veteran, while Cole Aldrich has extremely limited upside. The 26-year-old center is already in his fifth professional season, and he has yet to emerge as anything more than a useful rebounder and defender with little to no offensive presence.
New York can afford to take a gamble on a prospect at the 5, one who hasn't broken out yet but still has a chance to make a significant impact down the road.
Meyers Leonard, currently with the Portland Trail Blazers, would be one such player.
While Rip City could use some more scoring off the bench and could use Smith as a sixth man who could spark the second unit when the strong starting five needs a breather, Leonard isn't a crucial part of the current plans. Chris Kaman is the backup center expected to spell Robin Lopez throughout the season, and Joel Freeland may move past Leonard on the depth chart when his foot is fully healed.
But it's not as though the Illinois product has no value.
He'll turn 23 years old in February, and he's always been viewed as a raw prospect. Immediate contributions were never the expectation with Leonard, so it can't be particularly surprising that he's struggled to make much of an impact during his first two professional seasons.
The Knicks can give him a chance, and his 2015-16 salary is still $3 million less than Smith's player option if he doesn't pan out properly. This may not be a win-win trade from New York's perspective, but it's certainly a win-don't-lose.
Go After Glenn Robinson III, Shabazz Muhammad or Corey Brewer
4 of 5
If there's one spot where the Knicks are severely lacking depth, it's at small forward. Conversely, if there's one spot where the Minnesota Timberwolves have an abundance of usable players, it's at small forward.
While the Knicks have Carmelo Anthony starting at the 3, they can only spell him with Cleanthony Early or a 2-guard like Smith, Tim Hardaway Jr. or Iman Shumpert playing away from his natural position. But the Wolves' roster boasts Andrew Wiggins, Corey Brewer, Shabazz Muhammad, Glenn Robinson III and Robbie Hummel. Plus, Thaddeus Young and Anthony Bennett can both play the 3 in the pinch.
Young, Wiggins and Bennett are likely untouchable, as all were acquired this offseason and should play into Minnesota's rebuilding plans in prominent fashion. Hummel isn't a strong enough contributor to tempt the Knicks.
But what if they could get their hands on Brewer, Muhammad or Robinson?
Brewer is a high-quality backup, one who would give the Knicks a solid transition threat while providing some solid defense on a nightly basis. The other two are full of potential and more of it than Early possesses. This is still a move that would be geared toward the future, even if it's not allowing New York to get its hands on any draft picks or free up too much space on the books.
In fact, the Knicks might have to give up a future second-round pick in order to pry one of the coveted prospects away from Flip Saunders and the Timberwolves, even if they're currently buried on the depth chart.
Pursue a Point Guard
5 of 5
"I think they'd be open to anything. Probably some type of point guard," Frank Isola of the New York Daily News speculated while speaking about a Smith swap with Bleacher Report's Stephen Nelson.
It's a move that would make plenty of sense for the Knicks, especially with Jose Calderon's health in question and Shane Larkin not really a part of the long-term plans for Jackson and the rest of the New York front office. Larkin could play himself into consideration, but the team has already declined to pick up his option for next season, per ESPN New York's Ian Begley.
"Now that his option hasn't been picked up, Larkin will become an unrestricted free agent this summer," he reports. "Larkin can still re-sign with the Knicks but only for up to the amount of the option that was declined, which is $1,675,320."
In the interim, the Knicks could add a veteran point guard or a current backup with some upside. Both could provide some stability for the time being, and the former could possibly serve as a mentor for Larkin throughout the 2014-15 campaign.
Kirk Hinrich is one option, as the Chicago Bulls might be tempted into acquiring a strong shooter like Smith to help build their increasingly dynamic offense. Nate Wolters, buried on the Milwaukee Bucks' depth chart after a promising rookie season, is another interesting candidate.
They could also try prying Tyler Ennis from the Phoenix Suns or C.J. Watson from the Indiana Pacers, though it make take more than just Smith to make those deals happen. Regardless, the point is simply that acquiring a floor general would be an advantageous strategy if all else fails.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
