The New York Knicks made it a priority to keep J.R. Smith this summer, but that doesn't necessarily mean he'll be around long-term.
Over the course of the offseason, there have been a few signs that Smith's days in New York might be numbered, and that could help the team's hopes of lifting the Larry O'Brien trophy in June.
As NBA.com's John Schuhmann noted back in July, there's a good chance that the Knicks kept Smith simply to use him as a trade chip, rather than because they need his scoring off the bench.
When the Knicks selected Tim Hardaway Jr. with the No. 24 pick in the draft, it seemed like he could be a possible replacement at shooting guard. Smith, however, was re-signed anyway, which didn't make a lot of sense.
You could make the argument that Hardaway was simply an insurance policy in case Smith left in free agency, but after telling ESPN that he wanted to retire as a Knick, it was almost inevitable he would re-sign if offered a reasonable contract.
With Smith back on the team and Iman Shumpert already there, Hardaway is unlikely to get many minutes at shooting guard, making ...
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Article written by Ciaran Gowan
Why J.R. Smith Should Be on NY Knicks Trading Block in 2013-14
September 10th, 2013 by Ciaran Gowan Leave a reply »
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