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I've heard the possibility of Curry and Lee for Bell and Diaw as well.
Diaw, Bell could be back on a D'Antoni roster
BY ALAN HAHN | [email protected]
December 16, 2008
PHOENIX - The Knicks were very much interested in acquiring both Raja Bell and Boris Diaw, but with Mike D'Antoni now in New York after a bitter divorce from the Suns, they were not going to come directly from Phoenix.
However, because the trade that sent Bell and Diaw to the Bobcats for Jason Richardson and Jared Dudley was done when it was, D'Antoni could be in position to acquire one or both of his former players before the Feb. 19 trade deadline.
A person with knowledge of the Suns-Bobcats trade said the deal was accomplished in time to allow both players to be trade-eligible by the deadline. NBA rules say traded players cannot be moved again for 60 days. The deal was done Dec. 10, which means they can be traded again Feb. 9.
Another source has said the Bobcats have maintained interest in Eddy Curry, who has yet to play this season because of a bone bruise in his left knee. The Knicks - who are owned by Cablevision, which also owns Newsday - could flip Curry for Diaw, who are close in salary. Diaw's deal goes a year longer than Curry's, but it would save the Knicks $2.2 million in cap space for 2010.
Bell makes $5 million this season and the Knicks do not have a reasonable match - unless the Bobcats are interested in sending another player (say, Sean May's $2.6-million expiring contract) to match Malik Rose's $7.6-million expiring deal.