According to Nate Robinson’s agent, there’s no question that “Krypto-Nate” will be back in New York this year. His agent, Aaron Goodwin, made it seem laughable that there was ever going to be any other end to this scenario.
Agent Says Nate Will Be a Knick; David Lee Not So Sure
"Where else is he going to go? Nate has made it clear from the start that he only wants to play for New York. After July 1, we didn't talk to any other teams.''
That includes other countries.
"That was never a consideration,'' Goodwin said of Robinson possibly going overseas after reports surfaced over the summer he was pondering signing with the Greek team Olympiakos.
Robinson is a restricted free agent this offseason, and Goodwin envisions his pint-sized client signing a one-year deal to remain in New York City, after which he would become an unrestricted free agent, and a member of the vaunted free agent class of 2010. Whether that would generate any more interest from a league full of teams pinching pennies... Well, that's another question. For now, it appears that Nate-to-the-Knicks is a certainty for this season.
As for New York’s other tweening, pseudo-superstar, David Lee, the future is less defined. His agent, Mark Bartlestein, spoke to Fanhouse, as well, and there are still a lot of options on the table:
“Nothing is done yet, but we’re talking,” Lee’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, said Tuesday in an interview with FanHouse about his client. “There are still some sign-and-trade scenarios that are being discussed or going back to the Knicks.”
Though Robinson is the more explosive and well-known of the two players, David Lee would have to be considered the better asset for New York. Still, the Knicks are a team that have been looking beyond the 09-10 season for quite some time; re-signing either of these players to the type of deals that they are seeking would hamper New York’s ability to compete in the 2010 free agent market.
In a better economy, players of Lee and Robinson’s caliber might have commanded more interest, but in 2009, with a league still feeling the sting of economic calamity, the Knicks can afford to play hardball. There’s simply no interest out there for players that are “pretty good.” So where does that leave Lee and Robinson? Or Charlotte’s Raymond Felton, for that matter?
For now, it would appear it will leave all three with their original teams. It’s a risk-averse league, these days, and the ongoing saga of these young and talented restricted free agents illustrates it best: where potential used to predominate, the “bottom line” has become a preemptive concern.
See More:
