Knicks Rumors: Trade Buzz Surrounding Jeff Teague, Ricky Rubio and More
The New York Knicks are in the most desperate of positions with the trade deadline a bit more than 24 hours away.
They have gone into a serious tailspin that has taken them from the edge of playoff contention to one that has put them on the outside looking in, with only a slim chance of getting into the postseason.
While making the playoffs is not the reason that Phil Jackson took the position to steward the franchise nearly two years ago in March 2014, it would be a nice step toward getting back to respectability.
The Knicks have lost six games in a row and 10 of their last 11 and clearly need to make some moves if they are going to have any hope of turning things around.
Jackson fired head coach Derek Fisher and replaced him with interim head coach Kurt Rambis, but an upgrade on the roster is needed to help the new bench boss turn things in a positive direction.
One of the moves that Jackson appears to be considering is a trade that would bring point guard Jeff Teague from the Atlanta Hawks to New York City. ESPN's Marc Stein and Brian Windhorst reported the Knicks are trying their best to get a team interested in Jose Calderon and "talking up" his overall leadership ability.
That will take some smooth talking and perhaps additional enticements, considering that Calderon is scheduled to earn $7.7 million in 2016-17.
Teague would be an upgrade for the Knicks roster, as he is averaging 15.1 points per game with a 43.2 shooting percentage. Teague is also dependable from beyond the arc, connecting at a 40.8 rate on his three-point attempts.
If Jackson needs to sweeten the deal for the Hawks, he may also be interested in adding power forward/center Kyle O'Quinn, according to Stein and Windhorst.
The Knicks are clearly interested in a point guard, and Frank Isola of the New York Daily News points out that the Minnesota Timberwolves are interested in moving Ricky Rubio.
The Minnesota point guard plays with a creative flair, but his numbers are down this year, as he is averaging 9.7 points and 8.6 assists per game. His time on the court is also down, playing 30.3 minutes per game.
As a result of Rubio's less-than-impressive numbers, the Timberwolves are open to moving him if they can get the right package.
The slumping Knicks may not have enough to entice Minnesota to make such a deal.
Calderon's name has been on the trade block since late January. Al Iannazzone of Newsday had said the Knicks were interested in moving Calderon and that Teague's name was also mentioned.
Calderon has had issues with a sore groin in recent weeks and the 34-year-old has problems guarding younger, quicker guards and keeping them from getting in prime scoring position.
In addition to going after Teague and Jennings, Iannazzone also mentioned Detroit's Brandon Jennings (traded Tuesday night to Orlando, per CBS Sports' Zach Harper) and Atlanta's Dennis Schroder as guards that the Knicks might be interested in pursuing.
