Amar’e Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani are probably done helping the Knicks.
Neither has much, if any, trade value. Not only do they both fail to produce on the court, Stoudemire ($23,410,988) and Bargnani ($11.5 million) have salaries that are nearly impossible to match in a fair trade.
At least both have expiring contracts, so they won’t interfere with New York’s cap space this summer – or this team’s ability to secure prime lottery odds this season.
Essentially, with or without Stoudemire and Bargnani, the Knicks’ outlook is nearly identical.
That’s why it makes sense to consider buying out the players, allowing New York to save money and the players to find teams they could help.
The Knicks have discussed the possibility on Stoudemire, but of course, he must agree.
What does he he think?
Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports:Amar’e Stoudemire plans to use the All-Star break to decide whether to ask the New York Knicks for a contract buyout that could free him to potentially sign with a playoff contender.
“It’s not an easy decision to make,” Stoudemire told Yahoo Sports. “Over time, we will see how things pan out. You give yourself a break during the All-Star break. You think about it with your family. …That will give me a good solid week on how to weigh out the rest of the season.”
This will come down to how much salary each player is willing to relinquish the rest of the season. Each could help a contender in a very limited role, and that might appeal to them – to the point they give up money.
But they also might want to keep getting their large checks the rest of this season, because their pay will definitely be reduced on their next contracts.