It doesn’t take much for the Knicks to launch into panic mode. An embarrassing 3-6 start, following an even more embarrassing declaration by their owner in the preseason that they should win the 2014 NBA title, has the Knicks thinking about a blockbuster shakeup.
So, what else is new?
The object of the Knicks’ desire now is Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo, the New York Daily News reports. In a deal described as “complicated,” the Knicks would send Iman Shumpert, Raymond Felton and Amare Stoudemire to Boston for Rondo, who is recovering from surgery on his right knee in February. Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge reportedly is not interested in such a package, however.
Even if the Celtics were interested, the trade would not be legal as reported. Shumpert, Felton and Stoudemire make more than $27 million combined, while Rondo is making less than $12 million this season. The Celtics would need to add other players to satisfy the collective bargaining agreement’s salary-matching rules, although they do have a $10 million trade exception as a result of this summer’s deal with the Nets.
Even with his torn ACL, Rondo might be the least-damaged goods involved in this proposed trade. Shumpert missed the first half of the 2012-13 season with a torn ACL and had a “secret” knee procedure this summer, according to the Daily News. Felton has played poorly this season and Stoudemire is a shell of his former All-Star form, playing barely 10 minutes per game and missing three of New York’s nine games altogether.
