Report: Phil Jackson told Raymond Felton Knicks would trade him

Phil Jackson has yet to put his stamp on the Knicks with a major move, not even a coaching hiring (unless you count signing Lamar Odom or firing Mike Woodson, whose departure seemed likely long before Jackson arrived).

But Jackson will eventually hire a coach (I assume), and he doesn’t want to stop there.

Adam Zagoria of TheKnicksBlog:

Knicks President Phil Jackson told point guard Raymond Felton during exit meetings last month that he will be traded during the offseason, a league source told SNY.tv.

This is where I think Jackson’s learning curve as an executive is steep.

Felton, who will turn 30 next month, is coming off probably the worst season of his career. He’s under contract for two more years at $7,744,006. Oh, and he’s facing felony gun charges.

Jackson doesn’t want that guy on his team? Who does?

Good luck trading Felton – especially without draft picks to convince another team to take him. The NBA’s other 29 general managers aren’t suckers.

So, what happens if training camp begins and Jackson hasn’t found a trade partner? Will Felton play his heart out for a team he knows doesn’t want him? Will the Knicks just waive him and accept the burdensome cap hit?

Unless this is some type of mind trick with Felton, Jackson has set himself up for a bad outcome .