Jul
05
Numerous reports out of New York today indicating that the Knicks could be interested in a sign-and-trade with the Trail Blazers in order to acquire unrestricted free agent point guard Raymond Felton.
First,
Frank Isola of the New York Daily News:
Having lost out on their primary free agent target Steve Nash and with Jeremy Lin possibly signing an offer sheet with the Houston Rockets, the Knicks are committed to adding Felton, who finished last season with Portland.
The Knicks may be willing to acquire Felton in a sign-and-trade as a way to hold on to their $3 million mini-mid level exception to use on another free agent. A trade for Felton would likely include Toney Douglas.
And Alan Hahn, MSG Network's Knicks studio analyst,
has this to say on Twitter (via, ugh, Sulia)
Expect the Knicks to work with Felton's agent, Tony Dutt, and Felton's previous team, Portland, on a sign-and-trade deal for the free agent. Knicks could involve same foundation pieces from Nash deal (Toney Douglas, Dan Gadzuric and Jerome Jordan plus cash) and offer Felton anywhere from $4M to $6M in the first year. Deal should be amenable to Portland because Gadzuric and Jordan are non-guaranteeds and cash considerations essentially pays for Douglas' salary.
Probably worth noting that, as of right now, the reports only indication possible interest from the Knicks. No mention of whether the Trail Blazers would be willing to engage in a deal of this nature.