Knicks Almost Landed Matt Barnes

The New York Knicks nearly completed a blockbuster trade over a decade ago that has returned to present-day relevance.

Dec 31, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Matt Barnes (22) and New York Knicks center Andrea Bargnani (77) exchange words in the second quarter of the game at Staples Center. Barnes was given a personal and technical foul. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks made it through the trade deadline without any massive moves, which was quite a change of pace compared to how things were going in the offseason.

That being said, not every trade deadline will be as smooth as it was for the Knicks. In fact, for most of the league, this year's player movement was extremely chaotic.

NBA journeyman Matt Barnes spoke on KG Certified with Kevin Garnett about the 2014 trade deadline, where he was nearly traded to the Knicks.

"At the trade deadline, you know, it’s noon," Barnes said on the podcast h/t HoopsHype. "We were supposed to fly to Memphis. And what’s the day like? Everybody on edge. [Expletive] up. Silent. And this team is always gambling, playing music, drinking without the coaches knowing. Like, we crack, you know what I mean?"

"And everyone was just uptight. And this was Twitter time — this wasn’t really Instagram time. So, me — I remember me and Darren Collison were supposed to get traded for Raymond Felton and Iman Shumpert. We were supposed to go to the Knicks, and they were supposed to come to us. So, that’s something that’s bouncing around on Twitter while that [expletive] is happening," he continued.

Barnes played for the Knicks in 2005, so a trade would have resulted in a reunion. However, it wasn't in the cards. He stayed with the Clippers for one more season before finishing out his career with the Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors, where he won the NBA Finals in 2017.

Felton did end up getting traded to the Dallas Mavericks that year, along with Tyson Chandler, while Shumpert was dealt a year later to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Knicks didn't make that trade, and they may have had some regret about it as they finished ninth in the Eastern Conference playoffs, marking the first of seven seasons in a postseason drought that ended in 2020-21.

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