Two days before the deadline, the homestretch of NBA Trade Rumors for the remainder of the season is just around the corner. Executives are getting more creative, and trades involving three or more teams will surface.

The Knicks long standing desire for Kyle Lowry has not died down, and since they lack the assets to take him outright, they have dragged the Atlanta Hawks as a facilitator. ESPN recounts the Knicks' woes to procure the Toronto point guard:

"The Knicks are offering packages including Iman Shumpert, Raymond Felton and Beno Udrih, sources say. They have been reluctant to include sharpshooting rookie Tim Hardaway Jr. or a future first-round draft pick in any deal. One of those two pieces is believed to be a prerequisite for Toronto to consider giving up Lowry."

New York has found a possible trading partner in the Atlanta Hawks, who also have their own problems. Zach Lowe of Grantland reported: "..sources around the NBA continue to insist Ferry is not in love with Jeff Teague's four-year, $32 million deal. Don't sleep on the Hawks."

The Toronto Raptors are in a bind with Kyle Lowry. He is due to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but the New York Knicks cannot pursue him because they are over the salary cap. Teams with cap space (and there are a lot of them this summer) can offer him the maximum (theoretically but no team in their right mind would do it). Toronto itself is reluctant.

If the Knicks acquire Lowry in a trade, they will have his "Bird Rights" which will enable the Knicks to pay him beyond the cap limit. These are the same rights that the Lakers wanted to exercise on Dwight Howard, which is why they can offer Dwight the maximum contract even if they were way over the cap. This was also the reason why the Lakers could not sign top free agents when Dwight departed.  

A trade to send Shumpert to the Atlanta Hawks, Jeff Teague to the Raptors and Kyle Lowry to the Knicks would not be equal, as Lowry is far better than both players, so the Knicks need to add more pieces to the package. Will they give up Tim Hardaway, Jr?