New York Knicks Re-Acquired Marcus Camby Via Sign-and-Trade

A decade after leaving Gotham, 38-year old center Marcus Camby is bringing his talents back to New York City. The Knicks and Rockets have agreed on a multi-player sign-and-trade. The NY Daily News and Houston Chronicle have the details: “Camby, who along with Kurt Thomas is one of two active players from the last Knicks NBA Finals team in 1999, agreed on a three-year, $13 million contract to return to New York as Tyson Chandler’s backup. The Knicks gave up most of their remaining bench players to acquire the 6-11 center. The Rockets received Toney Douglas, Josh Harrellson and Jerome Jordan plus the Knicks’ second-round picks in 2014 and ’15. The trade allows the Knicks to sign Jason Kidd to their ‘mini’ mid-level exception for a starting salary of $3.1 million. The trade also leaves the Knicks in a position where they will be forced to sign players to minimum contracts to fill out their roster. Camby, 38, will be reunited in New York with Carmelo Anthony, his former Nuggets teammate. Camby was traded to Denver on draft night 2002 in a deal for Antonio McDyess. Dolan, the chairman of Madison Square Garden, had run out of patience with Camby and ordered then-general manager Scott Layden to trade Camby and Latrell Sprewell. Camby played a major role in the Knicks reaching the Finals under Jeff Van Gundy 13 years ago. […] The Rockets plan to keep Douglas, 26, a 6-2 combo guard who would help bolster their depleted roster at that position. Plans for Harrellson and Jordan are undetermined. Camby hoped to return to the Rockets, but with the team’s being unable to keep Goran Dragic, dealing Kyle Lowry, and retooling to become much younger, Camby and the team worked on a sign-and-trade in which the Rockets would pick up assets and he could sign a contract worth $13.2 million over three years. With the deal, the Rockets have six players with non-guaranteed contracts, potentially giving them assets to facilitate potential trades. With Camby’s departure, only Kevin Martin and Luis Scola remain from last season’s rotation once the deals become official and Courtney Lee chooses a team.”