New York Knicks: Is It Time To Trade Iman Shumpert?

With the trade deadline approaching, the trade buzz begins to heat up and one of the names that are brought up the most regarding trade talk is New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert.

Dec 16, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks shooting guard Iman Shumpert (21) brings the ball up court during the second half against the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden. Washington Wizards defeat the New York Knicks 102-101. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

According to ESPN The Magazine‘s Chris Broussard, the Los Angeles Lakers have recently contacted the Knicks to express their interest in shooting guard Shumpert. The 23-year-old Shumpert is struggling this season to say the least, averaging just 6.6 points on 37 percent shooting from the floor. Shumpert‘s defensive ability makes him a valuable asset on the perimeter for any team in the league so that makes him huge trade bait. He’s also capable of doing damage from beyond the arc. He shot 40 percent from downtown in 2012-13 but is hitting just 33 percent of his long-range shots in 24 games this season, but maybe all he needs is new surroundings and a better environment because let’s face it things do not look good in New York for either basketball franchise.

Some players that the Knicks may be interested in acquiring include: Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry, Houston Rockets center Omer Asik, and Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo. Obviously everyone is hoping for Rondo to land in town, but the fans also have to prepare for the worst and realize that the deal may not get done.

A trade for Rondo would more than likely require the talents of Tyson Chandler in the deal and that can not happen if you are the general manager because that illuminates all inside precense that they have and the trade could potentially make the team worse.

The trade that seems more likely to get done is a deal for Lowry. The New York Daily News‘ Frank Isola recently reported that New York remains a potential destination for the Raptors point guard despite the fact that the team refuses to part ways with another first-round draft pick. The injuries sustained by Raymond Felton and Pablo Prigioni have left the Knicks very vulnerable at the point guard position and a deal for a guy like Lowry who could take some scoring pressure off of Carmelo Anthony would help tremendously.

On the other hand, would he get the team more involved or would he just help with the scoring?

The trade could be classified as a “hit or miss”, as I like to describe it. The only way to figure out if the trade would work is if the deal gets done and it is possible. With Lowry averaging 14.3 points and nearly seven assists per game in 2013-14, the Knicks will likely have to give up something notable for a potential trade to work which again might point to them possibly having to add Chandler to the mix and once again the problem is there of losing all of the inside game that they have.

With all of these rumors surfacing, it will be interesting to see what deal the Knicks decide to pull the trigger on. We all know that Shumpert will likely be moved we just don’t know when and where he ends up. Until then, we can sit back and enjoy the rumors and see where the franchise ends up for the future.