The Knicks continue to shop Iman Shumpert around because: 1) They need to shake up the roster; 2) He may be their most tradable asset as he’s a young player on a rookie deal.
The Nuggets continue to publicly deny that Kenneth Faried is available in a trade, but that’s not what everyone else around the league thinks.
Earlier this season the Knicks and Nuggets had some level of Shumpert for Faried talks but the Nuggets killed it. Now, the Knicks are trying to revive the idea, reports Marc Stein at ESPN.
https://twitter.com/ESPNSteinLine/statuses/433333167760494592
Denver killed the talks back in November because they wanted a future pick in the deal and the Knicks wanted to do it straight up. It’s hard to see why Denver’s position would have changed. They may need to deal Faried at some point — they are not high on his defense and they know that in a couple years he’s going to get a raise (after his rookie deal) — but that is something they could do this summer just as easily as at the deadline. Denver may like the idea of a “poor man’s Andre Iguodala” in Shumpert but he’s not near good enough to make this a straight up deal, they need more.
For the Knicks, the kind of energy Faried brings, plus his ability to finish inside, would be a big boost off the bench. He’s not a super talented player, but what he brings the Knicks could use.
However, are they really willing to give up another future pick for it? Not likely. At least they shouldn’t.