New York Knicks president Phil Jackson didn't rule out making any trades this season, but it's nothing something he's actively pursuing. If Jackson were to try to trade J.R. Smith, would there be a market for the mercurial swingman?
New York is 4-8, and Jackson seems resigned to finishing the season as a lottery-pick team. Jackson spoke to the media about the state of the Knicks, saying he has no intention to make a trade just out of desperation.
"I'm not going to make movement for movement's sake," Jackson said Monday, via ESPN. "There is sometimes addition by subtraction but I don't see anybody that doesn't want to be part of this organization, doesn't want to play with his teammates, doesn't want to learn. ...
Jackson also said he would only be interested in trading for players who fit both the system and the long-term plans of the Knicks, which includes keeping open their salary cap space this summer to sign a big-name free agent.
"What we have to do is we have to protect our future. We can't get so enamored with what is happening right now that we don't protect what's ahead of us, so that's a concern," Jackson said. "If we evaluate a player and see he's going to be a long-term person who is going to fit in our organization, we'll do that. But right now those things aren't jumping out."
Despite likely missing the postseason for the second straight year, Jackson insists his team is still focused on turning this around this season.
"We're not talking about the future," he said. "We're talking about the present, we're talking about this week's game and the week's games following that. ... Those are the things that are important to us. There have been a number of teams in this league that have had bad starts and have come out and made the playoffs. So we're not counting that."
When speaking of "addiction by subtraction," Jackson could be thinking of Smith. Jackson has openly questioned whether Smith would ever be able to grow up, and he didn't rule out dealing him if not.
"I don't know if that's possible or not," Jackson told the New York Post in September when asked how he'd get Smith to grow up. "He might be one of those guys that's a little bit like Dennis Rodman that has an outlier kind of side to him. But I'm gonna get to know him as we go along, and we'll find a way to either make him a very useful player on our organization, or whatever."
Although the 2013 Sixth Man of the Year has been a distraction both on and off the court, there could be a market for him.
"J.R. has had a lot of issues but he can be a big-time scorer when he's doing the right things," an anonymous high-ranking league executive told ESPN on Nov. 14. "There's always a team out there willing to take a chance on somebody if they feel he can put them over the top, and there's no doubt J.R. can play. People are going to be concerned about chemistry issues in the locker room, so it would have to be a strong leadership and coaching staff that take him in."
Teams linked to Smith this year included the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder, but nothing ever came of the reported trade discussions. There're three major holdups to Jackson trading Smith: 1) Smith's production has dwindled to just 10.0 points per game this season, 2) Smith has accrued more than $100,000 worth of fines with the Knicks, as well as a number of suspensions that prove he could be a liability and 3) his contract - $5.9 million this season and a $6.3 million player option next season - isn't that enticing to teams.
The NBA trade deadline is in February.
