Likelihood of Non-Carmelo Anthony Veterans Remaining with NY Knicks This Season
The New York Knicks roster isn't the most talented, but there are some intriguing veterans on board.
The Knicks will be sellers heading into the NBA trade deadline, and guys like Jose Calderon, Pablo Prigioni, Amar'e Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani will be available.
It isn't too likely, however, that New York moves all four men.
The probability of a trade varies with each athlete. Some players will be easier to exchange than others, and some will be better off holding or waiving than moving.
Jose Calderon
Calderon has been solid this season, scoring 9.3 points per game and dishing 4.3 assists per game, but the 33-year-old hasn't impacted the franchise in an extravagant way.
The Knicks acquired Calderon to run the triangle, and while he's capable of doing so competently, his age and contract don't rationalize him remaining with the organization. The point guard is signed for another two seasons and will earn about $15.11 million over the duration of his contract.
With the Knicks looking to free up as much cap space as possible, there's a great chance Calderon is traded for an expiring contract, solely to dump his salary. A playoff contender with an expiring contract could make a move for Calderon to take advantage of his experience.
A deal with the Houston Rockets exchanging Calderon for Jason Terry would make sense for both parties. The Rockets get another playmaker, and New York removes $7 million-plus from its books.
Finding a taker for Calderon may be challenging—due to his contract and age—but a franchise one player away from contending for a championship may pull the trigger to acquire that missing piece. There's a 75 percent chance Calderon gets traded in the coming weeks.
Pablo Prigioni
The wily Prigioni is entering the back end of his career. At 37 years old, he's still capable of performing at a high level for a backup point guard, but his talent is wasted on a losing team.
Prigs does the little things contenders need to get over the hump, and because of his reasonable contract—he has one year left on his deal worth about $1.7 million—he has the best odds on this team to get traded, checking in at 95 percent.
A franchise needing a point guard could land Prigioni for a second-round draft pick plus a contract filler if necessary.
The Detroit Pistons, for instance, can acquire Prigs for Kyle Singler's expiring contract and a second-rounder.
Prigioni won't net an amazing return, but his experience, leadership and craftiness on the floor are definitely worth a second-rounder to a playoff team.
Amar'e Stoudemire
Stoudemire might be the most talented veteran, but since he's an expiring contract, the odds of him being traded aren't too high. There's a 40 percent chance New York moves Stoudemire before the deadline.
For STAT to be traded, the Knicks will need to take on salary to match the $23.4 million he's owed this season, and adding contracts that go beyond this season is counterproductive.
If the Knicks can trade Stoudemire in a package for someone like Goran Dragic and a filler, it might make sense moving the big man, but odds are he stays put and his contract rolls off the books.
New York could wind up waiving Stoudemire if he expresses displeasure with the franchise, but that isn't likely to happen.
Andrea Bargnani
If the Knicks wanted to take on a bad contract, swapping Bargnani for it would get the deal done. But other than that, there's a 5 percent chance someone trades for Bargnani and offers anything of value.
New York is more likely to waive the big man and let his contract come off the books in the offseason.
Although he's injury-prone, Bargnani still possesses a soft touch and a big body that can be helpful to some teams for the rest of the year—but only if he can be signed for the veteran's minimum.
Bargnani won't be traded, but there's an 80 percent chance he'll be waived after the trade deadline passes.
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