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NBA Trade Rumors: 5 deals Knicks need to make

By Tom West

Jan 1, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls center Pau Gasol (16) drives to the basket against New York Knicks center Robin Lopez (8) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls center Pau Gasol (16) drives to the basket against New York Knicks center Robin Lopez (8) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 19, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Darren Collison (7) dribbles the ball against the Miami Heat during the second half at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won 116-109. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 19, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Darren Collison (7) dribbles the ball against the Miami Heat during the second half at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won 116-109. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

Darren Collison

The factor that gives this trade some potential to happen is Darren Collison’s new role coming off the bench. He started each of the 45 games he was able to play in last season, but since the arrival of Rajon Rondo’s triple-doubles in Sacramento, Collison is firmly placed as the second point guard. Plus, with Rondo leading the team with 35.2 minutes per game, Collison has done well to keep his minutes hovering around 30 a night.

He’s easily one of the top backup point guards in the game since his demotion, and he’s a perfect candidate and target to help the Knicks with their backcourt issues. This season, he’s averaging 16.5 points, 5.8 assists and 1.1 steals per 36 minutes, with 45.9 percent shooting from the floor and a 35 percent stroke from three.

With a solid mid-range game and strong finishing at the rim (65.2 percent within three feet), he’s got more than enough talent to give the Knicks some better athleticism, scoring, and overall impact from their guard rotation. He’s not a strong defender when moving into the paint and covering drives, but he’s sound enough at the perimeter and is a definite upgrade over Calderon.

The problem with this trade is that if the Kings lose Collison, they don’t really have a viable option at point off the bench. Seth Curry certainly isn’t suitable for that secondary role, so the Knicks would need to offer one of their point guards to help compensate. Obviously, this isn’t the main part of the deal, though.

Due to Calderon’s far too high salary of $7.4 million, he can’t be dealt for Collison along with someone else. However, the Knicks could still involve Galloway, and combine him with a forward (maybe Derrick Williams) to help the Kings’ bench.

It’s going to be hard to pry Collison away from the Kings with these pieces, so this is a fairly ambitious target. But if the Knicks really want to commit to a major point guard upgrade, they can try packaging a few players. Maybe (with a little luck) it will work if the Kings want to try strengthening their bench by only losing one player in return.

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