New York Knicks owner James Dolan reportedly wanted to trade Iman Shumpert

The New York Knicks have been criticized for making poor front office decisions over the past several decades, which is one of the reasons they have not won an NBA title since the 1970s. They came close in the 1990s with Patrick Ewing, but there always seemed to be one or two moves they made or didn’t make that kept them from going all the way.

The Knicks have shown signs of improvement in recent years, but according to Stephen A. Smith owner James Dolan recently wanted to make a move that would have stunted their growth. As Deadspin pointed out, Azaz of the Knicks Fan Blog dig up a video where someone somehow hacked into the behind-the-scenes feed between Stephen A. Smith and Dwight Howard during their recent interview. At one point, Stephen A. brought up the subject of Iman Shumpert.

“And by the way, [James] Dolan was ready to trade [Shumpert] because he didn’t want to work out in the summer league,” Stephen A. told Howard. “Dolan’s talking about trading him. I said, “trade who? You better hold on to that boy. You better not lose Iman Shumpert.’ That boy can play.”

Assuming Smith is telling the truth and putting aside the fact that he’s trying to make it sound like he’s responsible for the Knicks keeping Shumpert, that would have been a dumb move. Shumpert probably wouldn’t bring much in a trade, and the 23-year-old has become a valuable swing man who gives New York much-needed depth.

Dolan should probably stick to spying on his own players and let his basketball guys handle the roster decisions.