NBA Rumors: New York Knicks Acquiring Recently Released San Antonio Spurs Player

NBA rumors have long stated that New York Knicks president Phil Jackson has been looking to add another guard to upgrade his back court. That was one of the biggest priorities right before the trade deadline earlier this month, with the Knicks being linked to players such as Brandon Jennings and Jeff Teague. According to the New York Post, it appears that New York could be targeting free agent guard Ray McCallum, who was recently released by the San Antonio Spurs after they acquired veteran Andre Miller.

Though they humiliated themselves when the team drafted Kristaps Porzingis last year, the New York Knicks fan base is actually smarter than people think. The majority of their fans obviously know that they need another guard. When Jimmer Fredette was called up from the D League, the flock of fans at Madison Square Garden used their booming voice to let Knicks interim head coach Kurt Rambis know that they wanted to see him given a chance in the NBA.

While Jimmer Fredette did get on the court for the New York Knicks, it was only for a couple of minutes. The reason for that is because Kurt Rambis felt that Fredette was not ready to play defense on the NBA level. The former Brigham Young University Cougars star was reportedly pushed around during practice, which made Rambis feel really nervous about his chances of playing against guys who aren’t his teammates in real games.

With that in mind, Phil Jackson and Kurt Rambis will continue to look into bringing other players to the New York Knicks roster. Since the NBA Playoffs appear out of reach, there’s a good chance that management might start looking at younger players out there to see if they can be a part of the future rotation. This is the point in the season where a lot of contending teams are willing to give up developing players in hopes of adding veterans that can help their title chase.

When the San Antonio Spurs signed Andre Miller, who was recently bought out by the Minnesota Timberwolves, it wasn’t a splashy move. That’s fine with Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich. He simply was trying to fill out the edges of his roster so that San Antonio can be ready to go to war. Miller isn’t going to move the needle, but he does provide them with a veteran presence who knows how to slow down the tempo so that his teammates can calm down and refocus.

If Andre Miller were about a decade younger, then he would be a perfect candidate to join the New York Knicks back court. Since he’s not, Phil Jackson is said to be looking at the guard that Miller replaced on the San Antonio Spurs roster, Ray McCallum, who stands 6’3″ and weighs 190 pounds. The former second round draft pick is just 24 years old, so he could potentially becomes one of the perimeter players that grows along with Kristaps Porzingis.

Though it was only through 31 games played, Ray McCallum has been around the San Antonio Spurs organization long enough to learn how a winning franchise comports itself. If he can even bring an ounce of that to the New York Knicks, then he will be worth whatever amount of money Phil Jackson signs him for. The Spurs have long been known as the franchise that puts the team before the players, and that’s something that Carmelo Anthony has started to learn how to do.

Ray McCallum isn’t a sexy acquisition, but he could be quite useful to the New York Knicks.

[Featured Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images]