Rich Bucher is reporting that the Jazz and Knicks are discussing a trade that would send Carlos Boozer to the Knicks for David Lee. My source, who is usually fairly accurate, has confirmed this and says that the Jazz and Knicks have had several discussions about such a scenario all summer long. The Jazz like David Lee a lot, they feel he’d be a perfect fit for their team, the problem is the Jazz do not want to trade with the New York Knicks because the Knicks owe the Jazz an unprotected lottery pick next year, so adding Carlos Boozer could hurt the Jazz in the 2010 draft. Utah also wants expiring contracts and draft picks if they trade Boozer. The Knicks have plenty of expiring contracts, but it’s the draft picks they don’t have.
From my source I have gotten a few scenario’s which have been discussed. The most unlikely is the Knicks re-sign and than trade both David Lee and Nate Robinson to the Jazz for Boozer. That is a deal that the Jazz would likely go for, they do not really need Robinson but acquiring him would really weaken the Knicks already pathetic roster. A more likely scenario is a package of Lee and either Al Harrington or Larry Hughes for Boozer. In that deal the Jazz would get value for Boozer in Lee, but also get an expiring.
One gamble the Knicks could take is also trying to acquire Andrei Kirilenko in the deal. Kirilenko has a brutal contract that the Jazz have been looking to get out from, and cap relief in 2010 may make it worth Utah’s while to do a trade. Something such as Lee, Harrington and Hughes for Boozer, Kirilenko and Morris Almond or Kyrylo Fesenko. The Knicks all but end their chance of signing two marquee free agents in 2010, but they do have a much better and more attractive team to lure one, and they would have the Bird rights to Carlos Boozer; meaning they could sign him even while over the cap. Dwayne Wade, Carlos Boozer, Andrei Kirilenko, Nate Robinson, and Jordan Hill does not look like that bad of a team. The deal at the same time improves Utah. Okur, Millsap, Harrington, Brewer Williams with Lee off the bench would be a formidible foe for any of the western elites.
The latest from my source says that the teams discussed a four way deal with the Sixers and Suns were the Jazz would recieve Lee, filler, 2 first round picks and cap relief while the Knicks got Boozer and the other two exchanged some spare parts with each other. One problem with this is that the Sixers would want Jazz center Kosta Koufos in the deal and the Jazz are not willing to part with the young project yet. The Jazz were hoping that Fesenko and the rights to Ante Tomic would appease them but apparently it hasn’t.
