The New York Knicks may have begun a teardown of the foundation with Carmelo Anthony increasingly looking like he's on his way out of the Big Apple. The 2014 Draft is loaded with top talent, and the Knicks have managed to get back in play. They dealt Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton to the Dallas Mavericks for Jose Calderon, Samuel Dalembert, Wayne Ellington, Shane Larkin and two second round picks (Nos. 34, 51).
On the surface the Knicks are clearly giving up the best player in Chandler, a former Defensive Player of the Year, and may be giving up the second-best player in Felton provided he's in shape and staying out of trouble off the court. However, they saved themselves $3 million and were able to put themselves in position to find two potential role players later in a talented pool of rookies.
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Knicks executive Phil Jackson essentially said in his statement regarding the deal that the financial relief the deal provided, as well as the ability to add younger, cheaper talent was prioritized over the proven production of Chandler.
"The journey to build this team for the upcoming season and beyond continues. We have added players with this move that will fit right in to our system while maintaining future flexibility. We would like to thank Raymond and Tyson for their time and hard work with the organization over the past few years," Jackson said.
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The move could be jarring for Knicks' fans, who may be staring at a barren team should Carmelo bolt for greener pastures, but the drop-off from Chandler to Dalembert isn't drastically steep statistically speaking. Last season Chandler averaged 8.7 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, while Dalembert put up 6.6 points and 6.8 rebounds. Dalembert also has a better track record of health than the oft-injured Chandler.
Second, Felton was one of the worst starters in the NBA last season, and Calderon actually represents an upgrade over him. Ellington and Larkin have the look of spare parts off the pine, but Larkin has upside as a second-year player who will get a chance to prove himself in New York.
This move is just the first in what figures to be a busy time before and during the Draft. Several teams will be frantically trying to clear the financial decks to try and acquire Carmelo, LeBron James, or possibly make a trade for Kevin Love. Expect a ton of movement, especially from teams with multiple picks like the Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets.
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