New York Knicks trading rumors: With Hawks' Teague a no close call, will the Knicks offer 'Jimmermania' another NBA stint?
According to sources from ESPN, the highly-coveted ball club from the Big Apple has been trying their own method of wheeling and dealing to secure Jeff Teague who is both a potent scorer and an effective playmaker.
The only drawback for the Knickerbockers is that they don't have any top dollar asset to bring into the trading table that will charm Head Coach and President of Basketball Operations Mike Budenholzer and General Manager Wes Wilcox.
"They just didn't have the pieces to make it happen," a league source mentioned to ESPN.
Teague has been on the Knicks' radar for months now since Atlanta made it known that their starting point guard was potentially available.
However, landing such a trading piece will really need esteemed properties from the Knicks' front office – a disposal of which they don't really have.
The Knicks are betting their hopes that a Jose Calderon and a Kyle O' Quinn combo pack can somehow reel in Teague, while giving much emphasis to the veteran leadership of the Spanish point guard, according to a another report from ESPN.
The 34-year-old Calderon, who was acquired by the Knicks in 2014, has not delivered much on the backcourt and has continued to spiral downward in his statistics according to Basketball Reference. The starting floor general has only averaged 9.7 points and 5.3 assists per 36 minutes, a pattern which has not worked brightly for the Knicks as they require more arsenal especially in the scoring department.
Last January, Calderon was quoted in The New York Times saying: "Maybe I'm not like the other guys. Maybe I'm not as fast as them. I cannot jump as high as them. But it's been 11 years for me now. You just play different. The problem is when you start comparing numbers to other point guards. The league is about numbers, and it's crazy. You make those comparisons, and I'm losing every battle."
If the Knicks' front office are slipping away from a desirable Teague on the frontline, someone close to home could well be available. Jimmer Fredette who carved a name for himself as a BYU standout and was the 10th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks is marching to the beat of his own drum again in the NBA D-League via the Knicks affiliate the Westchester Knicks, according to the New York Post.
Fredette, who became a journeyman after his draft, is still hopeful for another chance in the big league.
"I feel I've definitely proven I can still play and provide something for a team out there," the 6-foot-2 point guard told the New York Post.
The 26-year-old Fredette swept the nation in a frenzy during his final college year with "Jimmermania"; unfortunately, after he made his leap to the NBA, his talents got buried in the bench. Fredette was named the NBA D-League MVP in Toronto and has averaged 22.6 points and 4.8 steals in the Developmental League, according to Real GM.