New York Knicks Trade Rumors: Many Players Linked To Team As NBA Trade Deadline Approaches

New York Knicks trade rumors have begun to link the team to many NBA teams and players from around the league. In the past few years, most of the Knicks trade rumors have centered around breaking up the team or dealing Carmelo Anthony, but now Phil Jackson may be looking to improve the roster midseason. A report on FOX Sports lists some of the players who could potentially help the Knicks get back to the NBA Playoffs for the first time in a while.

Some of those available trade targets include Tony Allen of The Memphis Grizzlies, Will Barton of the Denver Nuggets, Goran Dragic of the Miami Heat, Stanley Johnson of the Detroit Pistons, and Nerlens Noel of the Philadelphia 76ers. None of these players are going to get mentioned as “stars” of the NBA and they might not excite most fans of the Knicks. What they are, though, is a group of good role players who could fill in gaps for the team this season.

The most exciting name in these New York Knicks trade rumors is center Nerlens Noel. Noel is the third wheel in a rotation of big men for the 76ers, making him available to a team willing to pay the right price. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Noel is readily available and would be a restricted free agent at the end of the 2016-17 NBA season. This means a team could lock him up for years to come, something that might interest Knicks team president Phil Jackson.

In the latest NBA standings, the Knicks have moved up to fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings. Thanks to two straight wins, the Knicks are at 16-13 heading into the Christmas weekend. The team has struggled to find consistency on the road, posting a 5-9 record away from Madison Square Garden. It also shows a distinct home court advantage that the team is 11-4 so far in New York. When Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose are on the court together, the Knicks continue to improve, but the team still needs another piece or two.

It’s worth noting that many of the players getting mentioned in New York Knicks trade rumors are adept on the defensive end of the court. Nerlens Noel and Stanley Johnson could get mentioned as elite defenders once they have been in the NBA for a while, while Tony Allen has always been considered in that group. Due to the youth of Noel and Johnson, they would be more difficult to acquire, but a player like Allen could make sense in exchange for a future draft pick.

One more name continues to get linked to every big market team and that is All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins. The list of franchises that could be improved by acquiring him is quite long and the Knicks are one of the teams that keep getting mentioned. If the Sacramento Kings do finally decide that it is time to make that move, the Knicks would likely have to compete with the Boston Celtics, Portland Trail Blazers, Miami Heat, and several other NBA franchises to pull off a blockbuster deal. Could the Knicks even afford the package needed to acquire Cousins though?

There is a lot of time left until the NBA trade deadline hits in February, giving Phil Jackson a chance to put together the right deal. That length of time also suggests that the Knicks could shift from being buyers to becoming sellers if the combination of Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose doesn’t work out. Rose and Brandon Jennings are in the final years of their current contracts, possibly making them players who could get dealt to other contenders if the Knicks fall out of the playoff race. No matter what transpires, New York Knicks trade rumors are going to remain exciting for fans this year.

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