Andrea Bargnani is available to play tonight for the Knicks, as Newsday’s Al Iannazzone notes (Twitter link), and if the former No. 1 overall pick whom the Knicks are reportedly trying to trade makes it into the game, it’ll be just his third appearance all season. New York is also considering a buyout deal with Bargnani, though it seems such a move wouldn’t happen unless he’s still a Knick once the trade deadline passes. Still, it’ll be difficult for the Knicks to find a taker, as Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors wrote when he examined the big man’s trade candidacy last month. Here’s more from the Atlantic:
- The NBA is mandating that Mikhail Prokhorov sell his 45% stake in the Barclays Center if he’s to sell his 80% share of the Nets, as Daniel Kaplan and John Lombardo of SportsBusiness Journal report in a subscription-only piece. A source close to the owner told Kaplan and Lombardo that the requirement will complicate the sale, which Prokhorov reportedly intended to encompass only his majority ownership of the team. The league reasons that the team’s lease at the arena is burdensome and a drain on the club’s finances, as the Barclays Center makes a profit while the team loses money, as Robert Windrem of NetsDaily explains.
- Jerami Grant tumbled in last year’s draft because teams were concerned about his offensive abilities, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, but the 39th overall pick has revamped his shot and turned into a rotation player for the Sixers, as Jake Fischer of Liberty Ballers examines.
- The Knicks would gain roster flexibility and Amar’e Stoudemire would have a chance to play for a contender, so a buyout deal would make sense for both parties, argues Marc Berman of the New York Post.