The rhetoric after the Knicks signed free-agent shooting guard Roger Mason Jr. last month was that he was a consolation prize after New York missed out on acquiring Trail Blazers shooting guard Rudy Fernandez. But that line of thinking appears now to have been mistaken, as ESPN’s Chris Sheridan reports the Knicks have not stopped trying to trade for the third-year sharpshooter, and are using Wilson Chandler as bait.
Ford says regime change in Portland—Rich Cho has replaced Kevin Pritchard as GM—has re-opened discussion for Fernandez with numerous teams. “Cho is simply trying to scour the league for the best offer he can find,” says Ford, which is why there hasn’t been any movement on the Fernandez front. It’s likely that Cho will find a more appealing offer than the Knicks’.
The league announced yesterday it fined Fernandez $25,000 for making “detrimental” comments, in reference to his public trade demands.