Report: Suns pursuing trade with Knicks for Iman Shumpert

There were reports circulating that the Knicks had interest in acquiring Jared Dudley from the Suns, but the assets most thought that New York would actually be willing to part with to make the deal work didn’t seem to be anything that would be considered enticing by Phoenix.

Now that the name of Iman Shumpert has emerged as someone the Suns have interest in, there may be something in the works.

From Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports:

As the Phoenix Suns try to reshuffle their roster for the future, their front office remains motivated to try to acquire New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

The Suns are willing to give New York a package that includes forward Jared Dudley and possibly a future first-round pick for Shumpert, but the Knicks have so far shown no inclination to do such a deal, sources said.

Shumpert is still on his rookie contract, which means he’s making less than $2 million in this, his second season in the league. He has a team option of under $3 million for next season, and requires a qualifying offer of under $4 million the year after that to retain his rights in restricted free agency.

Dudley, meanwhile, has three years left and close to $13 million remaining on his current deal, which includes a player option in that final contract season.

From a talent perspective, this deal makes sense for both sides. The Knicks are right behind the Heat near the top of the Eastern Conference standings, and could use a player like Dudley to shore up the roster for the postseason. Dudley is a high-IQ player that can defend and score when given the opportunity, with his one downside being the fact that he lacks in overall athleticism.

Shumpert, in his second NBA season, has already proven himself to be an above-average perimeter defender, and his youth and athleticism would be welcome in Phoenix for a Suns team that is in a clear transitional stage, and needs to rebuild with young and inexpensive talent to begin the long road back to legitimacy.

The price of Dudley and a future first rounder seems a bit high for Shumpert’s services, but if other players might end up being included in such a deal, preliminarily it would seem to be one that could benefit both teams in the immediate future.