The New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers are reportedly in talks about a trade involving JR Smith and Chris Copeland, Marc Berman of NY Post reported.
Reports indicated that new Knicks team president Phil Jackson is still unsure whether or not Smith fits their long-term plan, which is the reason why New York tried to discuss a trade that would send the 29-year-old old guard to the Pacers before the deadline.
"He might be one of those guys that's a little bit like Dennis Rodman, that has an outlier kind of side to him. But I'm going to get to know him as we go along, and we'll find a way to either make him a very useful player in our organization, or whatever," Jackson said before the season started.
Sources revealed, though, that no trade involving the Knicks is imminent at this point, but Jackson is expected to be very active on trade front after Dec. 15 when most players will be eligible to be traded.
Does the Smith-Copeland Trade Make Sense For Both Teams?
The Pacers took a big hit during the offseason after losing Paul George probably for the rest of the season after breaking his leg in a USA Basketball scrimmage. Indiana also failed to retain Lance Stephenson, who opted to sign a lucrative deal with the Charlotte Hornets.
Acquiring Smith would give them an additional scorer this season, but most analysts doubt if they need to acquire one because they are not expected to make the playoffs this season with a badly-depleted lineup.
On the other hand, the trade will work well for the Knicks. Smith still has two years left in his contract with the Knicks. While Smith could opt out of his deal before the season, most analysts are convinced that the 10-year veteran will instead wait until 2016 because of the expected increase in salary cap.
Copeland, on the other hand, will become a free agent next summer. If the 30-year-old fails to fit into their long-term plan, the Knicks could just let him go next offseason. In turn, they would get more cap space in order to make a serious bid to acquire big-name free agents like Rajon Rondo and Marc Gasol.
