Enes Kanter and Courtney Lee are not the only Knicks on the trading block.
Tim Hardaway Jr. also has been made available in trade talks, the New York Times reported Thursday. The report said the team’s impetus for trading the guard would be “largely financial.”
While Kanter has made no secret of his desire to be moved if he is not going to play in the Knicks’ youth movement, Hardaway and Lee have not voiced the same wishes publicly.
Hardaway, 26, has started 42 games this season, averaging 19.6 points. He is in the second leg of a four-year contract — the final year being a $19 million player option — and is set to make $18.2 million next season.
The 33-year-old Lee, who has not played in 10 straight games, has one year left on his contract at $12.8 million after this season.
Unloading both players from their future salary cap would help the Knicks clear space for a max-contract free agent this summer, with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard and Kemba Walker expected to be among the top free-agent prizes.
When the Feb. 7 trade deadline was mentioned Thursday, Hardaway was in no mood to talk about it.
“I’m not going to answer that question, so you can stop asking me,” Hardaway said. “Next question.”
In the midst of all their drama Thursday, the Knicks had a game to prepare for Friday night against the Nets at Barclays Center. The last time they played in December, the Knicks were 8-18 and the Nets 9-18.
Now, the Nets have taken over the winning in the city, entering Friday 18-5 over their last 23 games and grabbing the Knicks’ attention.
“You gotta definitely give them respect,” said Hardaway, who played for Nets coach Kenny Atkinson when Atkinson was an assistant with the Hawks. “They built a big brand of basketball over there and they’re bringing their culture back. Coach Atkinson, he’s building a mold and a team over there that’s been together for three-plus years. They know what it takes to win now and they’re taking advantage of the opportunity.”
“They’ve done a great job of building it up,” Knicks coach David Fizdale said.
A day later, Hardaway still wasn’t sure what he could have done differently when he was called for a fourth-quarter foul on James Harden attempting a 3.
“He definitely does a heck of a job of selling refs in calling fouls for him but, hey, that’s how the game goes,” Hardaway said.
Emmanuel Mudiay did not practice Thursday because of a left shoulder injury. He is questionable for Friday’s game.