NBA Trade Rumors: Could Knicks Deal Tim Hardaway Jr. By February 7 Deadline?

The New York Knicks are in the midst of another miserable season. One of the NBA’s biggest market teams is 10-35 and on a six-game losing streak, and they need to figure out what to do with their roster as they possibly get a high lottery pick and try to lure star players to Madison Square Garden.

One move the Knicks could make as they look towards the future is dealing away their leading scorer. The Athletic reported on Tuesday that other NBA teams have asked the Knicks about acquiring Tim Hardaway Jr., who leads the team with 19.6 points per game. Teams have also inquired about guard Courtney Lee, per the report.

Hardaway could provide a team in need of guard help with scoring punch off the bench, but his contract could make a trade difficult. He is signed through 2021, but he has a salary cap hit of more than $18 million in each of the next two seasons.

Another possible barrier to any trade involving Hardaway is the Knicks’ own desires. The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov said the Knicks are “adamant” about not attaching any assets to Hardaway or Lee.

Daily Knicks suggested the San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and Sacramento Kings as teams that could possibly work as trade targets for Hardaway.

The Knicks would ideally like to get enough back in return to hopefully contend for a playoff spot next year. This was always going to be something of a lost season since star center Kristaps Porzingis has not played at all since February. New York could possibly use the trade market to help put together a roster compelling enough to convince a player like Kevin Durant to join in the offseason.