Pacers, Knicks Talking Chris Copeland for J.R. Smith?

Oct 29, 2014; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks guard J.R. Smith (8) reacts after missing a basket to end the first quarter against the Chicago Bulls at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

In the latest round of NBA rumors, the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks are discussing a Chris Copeland for J.R. Smith trade.

The Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks are both expected to be playing for one of the lower playoff seeds, and they are both trying to make a move to better their roster. According to a report from Marc Berman of the New York Post, the Pacers and Knicks have engaged in trade discussions that would involve swapping both Chris Copeland and J.R. Smith.

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Berman does note that Phil Jackson isn’t interested in making a deal until December 15th, when he will be allowed to trade newly signed players and 2014 draft picks.

Copeland has become a fan favorite with the Pacers this season and it would definitely upset the fans to see him traded. He has averaged 16.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game, while shooting 39.0 percent from the floor overall and 40.0 percent from behind the three-point arc. His energy and shooting ability have been important for the Pacers, but they don’t appear to think that they need to keep him.

Smith on the other hand has fallen off over the last year after winning the Sixth Man of the Year award just two years ago. He has averaged 8.0 points, 4.0 assists, and 1.7 rebounds per game, and has shot 40.0 percent from the floor and 28.6 percent from the arc.

Needless to say, the numbers show that Copeland has been the better player by far this season. The Pacers are looking to bring in another dynamic scorer, but Smith’s issues simply wouldn’t be good for Indiana at this point in time. If Smith turned his attitude around and was aggressive on both ends of the court and lost the bad attitude that he has had then the Pacers could be getting a very good player in return.

That being said, there will be plenty of rumors involving both of these teams over the course of the season. They are both looking to make a move or two in order to jump back into playoff contention, and perhaps changes of scenery would be good for the players. Indiana would catch a lot of criticism for dealing Copeland from their fans, while the Knicks fans would be happy to see Smith out of town.

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