Report: Knicks don’t want Carlos Boozer in possible sign-and-trade
This may shock you, but in the instance Carmelo Anthony agrees to join the Chicago Bulls and the Bulls want the New York Knicks to take back Carlos Boozer in a sign-and-trade, the New York Knicks are likely going to say no.
Sources: the Knicks will not entertain any sign-&-trade deal with Chicago that includes them taking back Carlos Boozer
— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) July 2, 2014
There are two ways to look at this.
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One would be that it wouldn’t necessarily hurt the Knicks to acquire Boozer. Like Amar’e Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani, Boozer’s contract expires in the summer of 2015 which mean his presence wouldn’t disrupt Phil Jackson’s plan to woo top talent next off-season. And with Boozer in the Knicks’ 10-man rotation, it hampers the franchise’s ability to make the playoffs, drawing the franchise closer to the NBA Lottery; and unlike last season, they actually have a draft pick which could well become a building piece for the future. Worst-case scenario, the Knicks dump Boozer and his expiring contract.
The other side would be that Boozer is a terrible player nowadays. He’s still able to score on the offensive end, but is poor on defense, often being replaced by Taj Gibson when the Chicago Bulls needed a stop. Though the Knicks lose all leverage if Anthony decides to sign in Chicago, they could still demand much more in a sign-and-trade, improving for the future in the process. Draft picks? Taj Gibson? Nikola Mirotic? Jimmy Butler? Anthony is worth at least one of those pieces and getting only Carlos Boozer would be highway robbery.
It’s an interesting position for the Knicks to be in, and the approach to this matter will show the world where Phil Jackson’s head is regarding the 2014-15 version of the New York Knicks.
The one thing we do know for sure is that with or without Carmelo Anthony, the show goes on in New York.