NBA Trade Rumors are creeping out of the woodwork as the teams need to get creative to gain better leverage in dealing with the superstars. In hopes to appease Carmelo Anthony's desire to win NOW not next year, Phil Jackson tries to weave his Zen and trade Amare Stoudemire who has (finally!) an expiring contract.

The teams above the salary cap need to get creative. The two teams in the Big Apple are probably more capped out than the rest of the league combined. The Knicks have no cap space nor draft picks when the offseason started, but Phil Jackson has shown Carmelo that he can find ways after the Tyson Chandler trade.

Perhaps being pushed into making an effort to keep Anthony, Jackson may jeopardize part of his long-term plan to make moves now. From the NY Post:

"Knicks president Phil Jackson is still trying to clear this year's payroll and has looked at avenues to try to trade Amar'e Stoudemire's expiring contract, already having contacted the obvious team, the 76ers.

The Sixers have $30 million in cap space and have made it known they'd be willing to accept an undesirable expiring contract if a pawn is thrown in. That extra pawn likely would be Iman Shumpert - something the Knicks prefer not to do.

The idea is, at the least, to reduce payroll so the Knicks can make a sign-and-trade to obtain a free agent and be able to wield the full mid-level exception of $5 million instead of mini-mid-level $3.27 million. "

The motivation for this trade is to offer the full mid-level to Pau Gasol. If they can acquire Gasol, it can be a reason for Melo to stay. OKC Thunder has already offered their full MLE to Pau.

Even if they trade Amare, they would still be above the cap with Carmelo Anthony's cap hold (it's that bad!) so they still need some more work. However, Iman Shumpert is one of a few promising Knicks players and of course, the only one with trade value.

It's a big risk and a high price to pay. After all this, Carmelo can still decide to walk away. But if he does, the Knicks will be able to wield cap space, and then we'd find out what the Zen Master can do.

The plot thickens with every day that Melo makes us wait.