Tony Parker a trade possibility for Knicks?

A few weeks back Tony Parker’s name came up in trade rumors and the Knicks were in the forefront of those rumors. This week the rumors have resurfaced.

Alan Hahn of Newsday wrote:

According to several sources, the Spurs may be downplaying trade rumors involving Tony Parker, but they are clearly ready to consider moves. The franchise committed to Manu Ginobili and have George Hill as a built-in replacement, which has made Parker expendable. But at what cost?

The Knicks would love to get a deal done before July 1 as an attention-grabber for free agents, but it might take the rights to David Lee in a sign-and-trade to get the Spurs talking. If that’s the case, it couldn’t happen until after July 1, because, as a one-year contract player, Lee can’t be signed to an extension.

There is no doubt that this team needs a point guard to facilitate Mike D’Antoni’s offense, but does David Lee entice the Spurs enough to get an eventual deal done? If not, the Knicks may be out of luck. They don’t have much else to offer the Spurs.

This will be another interesting storyline to watch play out as free agency looms just under a month away. If the Knicks could find a way to trade for Parker and sign two top free agents, they’d find themselves in the driver’s seat of the Eastern Conference.