Two trade rumbles involving the New York Knicks were circulating Tuesday as we inch to within a week of the NBA's annual trade deadline.
Rumble No. 1: The Knicks, I'm told, are trying to re-engage Denver in what has become a season-long crusade to convince the Nuggets to consent to a trade that essentially swaps Iman Shumpert for Kenneth Faried.
One source close to the situation said the most likely trade scenario -- if it ever progresses to a serious stage -- would package Shumpert and Beno Udrih to Denver for Faried and Jordan Hamilton. But that's the issue; New York simply hasn't been able to get Denver to seriously consider the idea.
Faried is earning only $1.4 million this season as he heads into a summer where he's eligible for a contract extension. A salary that low obviously makes it tricky for the Nuggets to get something resembling equal value for Faried when he's still on his rookie-scale contract.
That would quickly lead you to presume that Denver would insist on adding a long-term contract it wants to shed to any deal if it's going to consent to parting with Faried before next Thursday's 3 p.m. ET deadline. The Knicks are wary of taking on any long-term money for short-term gain -- no matter how short-handed they are in the frontcourt with Andrea Bargnani and Kenyon Martin -- since they're determined to maintain financial flexibility for the summer of 2015 in hopes of getting a re-signed (by then) Carmelo Anthony more quality help.
Add it all up and you'll quickly conclude, like us, that the Knicks' chances of changing the Nuggets' minds don't look great.
Rumble No. 2: Washington's determination to acquire a new backup point guard to replace the ineffectual Eric Maynor before the Feb. 20 trade buzzer is widely considered one of the certainties of this trade season. And the Wiz, I'm told, have Knicks guard Beno Udrih high on their list, since Udrih's modest expiring contract -- even with a 15-percent trade kicker -- is relatively easy for Washington to digest in a season where it has an eye firmly on the luxury-tax threshold.
As Grantland's Zach Lowe reported earlier Tuesday, Washington does have certifiable interest in Denver's very available Andre Miller. I'm told that the Wiz, though, have thus far been unable to sell the Nuggets on a deal both sides can stomach.