NBA Trades: New York Knicks Need to Look at Steve Nash
Anyone who has watched the Knicks lately, can see that this is a team on the brink of failure. They’ve looked somewhat respectable up to the end of games, but just can’t quite pull out a tough victory. The season is not yet lost, but a few more weeks of losing, could spell the end of 2012 for the Knicks. The expectations are high in New York, as always, but especially with people starting to question whether Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire can co-exist?
Of course there are people who think that Baron Davis can save the Knicks. He’s been on the shelf all year with a bad back, and at 32, it’s very unclear what Baron can still bring to the table. Don’t get me wrong, I love Baron Davis, but realistically, can he save a team at this point in his career? If I was running the Knicks, I would be considering other options. Who else could be available to step up and lead this team to the playoffs? Steve Nash, is a man that immediately comes to mind.
Nash is a good choice for many reasons, mainly because he knows the offensive system, he’s played for Mike D’antoni, and played with Amare Stoudemire. The Knicks seriously lack floor a Floor General. Way too often I see Carmelo Anthony bringing the ball up the floor, sure he can handle it, but that’s not his game.
The Knicks seem lost this year, and I blame most of it on not having Chauncey Billups. Billups is who made the Knicks what they were at the end of last year. New York needs a true point guard, someone to let Melo, Amare, and the rest of the team, find their roles.
All of this sounds good, but could a ‘Nash to the Knicks’ deal really happen? Nash has said that he wants to stay a Sun for now, but if the team decided to want to trade him, that he would do what’s best for the team. New York would have to be an attractive destination for Nash, after all, he does live there in the off-season. A reunion with D’antoni and Stoudemire certainly wouldn’t be a bad thing for business either. The reality is that, Baron Davis is no Steve Nash, and I think it’s a no-brainer, you take Nash, if you have a choice between the two veteran guards.
The big question though, who could the Knicks give up for Nash? The roster is already depleated after last years deal to bring in Melo. A draft pick seems like an obvious solution, but the Rockets have the Knicks’ 1st round pick and Phoenix will already get the Knicks 2nd round pick, if the pick pick is outside the top 55. So maybe they trade a future draft pick, or they guarantee the Suns this year’s 2nd round pick? Both are possibilities.
As far as players, the Suns would probably want a couple guards in return; Mike Bibby, Baron Davis, Toney Douglas, Jeremy Lin are all possible candidates. I doubt the Suns will want aging players like Bibby and Davis, so Douglas and Lin seem to best the Knicks have to offer. Obviously, the Knicks need to stay within their budget, given that Nash is making $11,689,062 this year, so other players could also get thrown into the mix.
The best thing the Knicks have going for them, is that the Suns like Steve Nash. They are more likely to trade him, as a courtesy, for one last run at a ring. The reality is that the Suns are not winning a championship anytime soon, and either Nash retires and they get nothing, or they trade him for future prospects.
This deal is a long shot, but if Nash gets dealt, New York is one of the only possible destinations. He would fill a much needed role, and instantly give the Knicks a chance to make some noise in the playoffs. Baron Davis may be able to get them in the playoffs, but Steve Nash gives them a chance to win in the playoffs. The Knicks need to win now, because the clock is ticking on the Melo and Amare experiment.
Follow Andrew Fisher on Twitter @the_realfish
Thanks to Spotrac.com
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