Knicks Rumors

RUMOR: Knicks, Raptors Talking Kyle Lowry Trade?

by danduangdao

Although the New York Knicks escaped with a narrow 83-78 victory over the Chicago Bulls last night, ESPN’s Marc Stein reported on Thursday morning that the Toronto Raptors have offered Kyle Lowry in a trade that features Raymond Felton.

With the Knicks losing 11 of their last 14 games, a change was imminent and the front office feels the need to improve at the point guard position. While all the rumors have centered around head coach Mike Woodson being fired and Iman Shumpert being traded, it appears Felton may be on his way to Toronto:

Although the deal will center around Felton, the Knicks will need to include another player to match the salaries and possibly a draft pick. However, the Knicks don’t have a first round pick that is trade-eligible according to NBA rules until 2018. As a result, Tim Hardaway Jr. may be included in the deal:

With the Knicks looking to improve and the Raptors looking to tank after trading Rudy Gay, the possible trade proposal makes sense for both sides. While the Knicks don’t want to include Hardaway Jr. in the deal, it means that the front office may have decided that Iman Shumpert has more potential and should remain in New York for the foreseeable future.

In 20 games this season, Lowry is averaging 14.6 and 6.7 assists.

UPDATE (4:00 PM ET): Knicks are offering Raymond Felton, Metta World Peace, and 2018 first-round draft pick for Kyle Lowry via Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski:

UPDATE (5:02 PM ET): The Raptors want two of the following three in exchange for Lowry – Iman Shumpert, Tim Hardaway Jr., and/or future first-round draft pick via ESPN’s Marc Stein: