New York Knicks eyeing Raymond Felton to strengthen their back court – NBA Report
The New York Knicks were quite hopeful about their chances of landing veteran point guard Steve Nash. However, when Nash decided to opt for the Los Angeles Lakers in a bid stay close to family which resides in Phoenix, the Knicks
had to move quickly to find an option for point guard.
They were dealt another blow when their restricted free agent point guard Jeremy Lin was given a back loaded four year contract offer by the Houston Rockets. The Knicks know they cannot match the offer since they do not have salary
cap space with superstars like Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler already owed huge salaries.
The expected departure of Lin and the failed attempt at Nash has the Knicks looking for a point guard to complete their roster and in this regard, they recently agreed to a three year deal with veteran point guard Jason Kidd of
the Dallas Mavericks.
Although Kid is a legend in the NBA and second on the NBA all time assists and steals list, he is 39 years old and it is unlikely that he will start for the Knicks next season.
In such a situation, Frank Isola of the New York Daily has reported that the Knicks have become frontrunners in hiring the services of guard Raymond Felton.
Felton has already played for the New York Knicks in the 2010-2011 NBA season, but was traded to the Denver Nuggets that same season in order to acquire Carmelo Anthony. The Knicks basketball game plan has changed a lot since,
as now the majority of the offense is run through Anthony. Nevertheless, Felton is one of the few quality point guards remaining in free agency and would be a good fit in the Knicks line up alongside Kidd.
Felton played for the Portland Trail Blazers last season averaging 11.4 points and 6.5 assists. He never felt comfortable in the Blazers line up and saw a drop in his statistics as well. Felton averaged 15.5 points, 8.3 assists
and 1.7 steals in the 2010-2011 NBA season in which he played for the Knicks and the Denver Nuggets. He is a solid point guard who can make plays and at the same time, score at will.
No agreement has been reached between the two sides yet, but the Knicks are said to be eyeing him aggressively and some news in this regard is expected to be announced soon.
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