Berman: The Knicks have inquired about Chris Copeland

One never knows what to make of a Marc Berman report, but...here's this!

One of president Phil Jackson's big decisions this season is whether to trade J.R. Smith, and the club had recent conversations with the Pacers regarding ex-Knick Chris Copeland, according to a league source.

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According to a source, Jackson has no plans to make any deals until Dec. 15 - a key NBA date as 2014 free-agent signees and 2014 draft picks are eligible to be traded.

That all seems logical. The second part is obvious-- it's best to get into the trade market when everyone's eligible to be traded. The first part reflects what the Knicks have and what they might want.

The Knicks have more shooting guards than they have minutes for shooting guards (unless Derek Fisher really wants to lean into his small lineups). We've gotten clues before that J.R. and his uncertain player option might be considered the movable part of the wing corps.

The Knicks want space or, perhaps, players, provided they fit and their contracts don't hamper future plans. A deal featuring J.R. and our old friend Cope would seem to satisfy all the wants, although Berman doesn't actually say that trade has been discussed, just that Smith is a potential candidate and the Knicks have inquired about Copeland. That deal couldn't happen straight up, anyway, and the Knicks might like to get something of greater future value in return for J.R....unless Copeland is someone they'd want to re-sign.

I don't expect the Knicks to make trades anytime soon, but that's something to file away.