Add the New York Knicks to the teams interested in forward Kevin Love.
New York offered Amar’e Stoudemire, Tim Hardaway, Jr. and Iman Shumpert to the Minnesota Timberwolves in an attempt to land Love, a source told the Wall Street Journal on Saturday. The Wolves reportedly rejected the deal.
With the Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly offering No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins in a potential deal for Love and the Chicago Bulls also willing to make a ‘significant’ trade, it makes sense for Minnesota to avoid a deal with the Knicks.
Hardaway and Shumpert could have been enticing pieces for Minnesota, but an aging Stoudemire — who averaged just 11.9 points per game in an injury plagued 2013-14 season — is a far cry from the player he was four years ago. Stoudemire’s contract is almost up, and it appears unlikely that he would sign a long-term deal to play for the Timberwolves.
The real problem for the Knicks is that they don’t have many first-round picks to use in a potential trade. New York already dealt their 2014 and 2016 first round selections, and because of NBA rules not allowing a team to trade top picks in consecutive years, the Knicks can’t trade their first round spots in 2015 and 2017.
For a team like the Timberwolves that is looking to acquire young talent, the Knicks would be far from an ideal trade partner.
Photo via USA Today Sports Images
