The New York Knicks might have hit rock bottom when they lost to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. They went on to beat the Chicago Bulls the next night and things might be looking up. However, should the Knicks trade Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose?
The Knicks started the season in win-now mode as they acquired Rose via trade and signed Joakim Noah and Courtney Lee to multimillion deals, per Sports Illustrated. Everything was alright heading into the Holidays as they were a playoff team but everything went south very quickly.
New York went on a losing streak that was highlighted by the loss to the Sixers on Wednesday. The Knicks blew a 10-point lead in two minutes as T.J. McConnell hits the game-winning, buzzer-beating jump shot.
After the game, many fans called out the Knicks for their lackluster performance. NBA rumors began to swirl about the future of Anthony and Rose with the team. Anthony is still the team's superstar but Kristaps Porzingis is ready to take over.
On the other hand, Rose recently went AWOL and caused a lot of uncertainties, per Yahoo! Sports. Noah has also failed in his first season in New York but he'll be very difficult to deal since he signed a $72 million contract. So the question stands, should the Knicks trade Anthony and Rose?
The logical answer is yes, they need to trade both players as soon as possible. According to Patrick Britton of The Score, the Knicks should deal Anthony to be able to rebuild around Porzingis. As for Rose, he'll be a free agent at the end of the season and his trade value is not very high.
The problem for the Knicks is Anthony has a no-trade clause and he really loves New York. He might waive his no-trade clause if he is going to a contender or to be playing with a member of "The Brotherhood."
The Knicks need to rebuild around Porzingis as soon as possible but it will very difficult to do if Anthony is on the way. Rose is seeking a $150 million deal this summer which means he'll be gone in New York.
