http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2919929
The New York Knicks were in advanced discussions Thursday to acquire Portland Trail Blazers big man Zach Randolph, according to NBA front-office sources.
But such a deal would not have to be completed in conjunction with Thursday night's draft because no draft picks are involved.
The Knicks, sources say, are trying to acquire Randolph in exchange for forward Channing Frye and guard Steve Francis, who has only two seasons left on his contract and has the option to become a free agent after next season. Randolph has four seasons left on his deal worth more than $61 million.
If Francis serves as the big Knicks contract in the deal, Portland would have to add at least one more player to the trade -- guard Dan Dickau is one possibility -- to make the salary-cap math work.
Randolph averaged 23.6 points and 10.1 rebounds in a breakout season in 2006-07 but has faced an uncertain future in Portland since late May, when Portland won the No. 1 overall pick in the draft lottery and the right to select Greg Oden. It's believed that the Blazers, who continue to put a premium on good citizenship after years of turmoil, prefer to jettison Randolph and build around a front line of Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge.
But neither Randolph's troubled off-court past nor the fact that New York already has a low-post presence in Eddy Curry appears to concern Knicks president Isiah Thomas.
If the Blazers agree to send Randolph to the Knicks but prefer Malik Rose to Francis, Rose could be substituted for Francis after July 1 when the final two seasons on Rose's contract -- worth a combined $14.7 million compared to Francis' $34.3 million -- become guaranteed.
The New York Knicks were in advanced discussions Thursday to acquire Portland Trail Blazers big man Zach Randolph, according to NBA front-office sources.
But such a deal would not have to be completed in conjunction with Thursday night's draft because no draft picks are involved.
The Knicks, sources say, are trying to acquire Randolph in exchange for forward Channing Frye and guard Steve Francis, who has only two seasons left on his contract and has the option to become a free agent after next season. Randolph has four seasons left on his deal worth more than $61 million.
If Francis serves as the big Knicks contract in the deal, Portland would have to add at least one more player to the trade -- guard Dan Dickau is one possibility -- to make the salary-cap math work.
Randolph averaged 23.6 points and 10.1 rebounds in a breakout season in 2006-07 but has faced an uncertain future in Portland since late May, when Portland won the No. 1 overall pick in the draft lottery and the right to select Greg Oden. It's believed that the Blazers, who continue to put a premium on good citizenship after years of turmoil, prefer to jettison Randolph and build around a front line of Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge.
But neither Randolph's troubled off-court past nor the fact that New York already has a low-post presence in Eddy Curry appears to concern Knicks president Isiah Thomas.
If the Blazers agree to send Randolph to the Knicks but prefer Malik Rose to Francis, Rose could be substituted for Francis after July 1 when the final two seasons on Rose's contract -- worth a combined $14.7 million compared to Francis' $34.3 million -- become guaranteed.
Then they still have guys like Outlaw at SF, who might be long enough to pay PF. They are huge, and so young, and just did not want anything to mess it up. I have frontline envy. 