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Zach Randolph, AP

The Knicks are trading Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins to the Clippers for Tim Thomas and Cuttino Mobley, according to the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Daily News and others. The move comes on the heels of Friday's earlier deal in which the Knicks sent Jamal Crawford to the Warriors for Al Harrington. The end result, as summarized by the New York Daily News, is this:

Both deals were made to clear salary cap space for the summer of 2010 for when LeBron James becomes a free agent.  The contracts of Harrington, Thomas and Mobley all expire in two years which will put the Knicks in position to make a run at James, the most coveted free agent since Shaquille O'Neal left the Orlando Magic to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers.

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"It's always going to be a possibility that one day the face of this franchise is going to change," Mike D'Antoni said early Friday. "(President Donnie Walsh's) plan is pretty clear. ... In a couple of years we're going to be under the cap. Everything he will do will lead us to being under the cap in two years. And I'll deal with making sure the team is competitive and we'll try to make the playoffs this year."

Several media outlets, including the New York Post and Newsday, are reporting that the Knicks are set to deal guard Jamal Crawford to the Warriors for forward Al Harrington. And that could lead to another trade by team president Donnie Walsh, according to the Post:

There's also been talks of the Knicks then moving Zach Randolph to the Clippers, who tried to trade to for the Knicks forward in July. If Randolph is also moved, the Knicks would be in great position to get under the cap. The Clippers would send Tim Thomas and Cuttino Mobley in that second trade.

"Donnie's plan is pretty clear that in a couple of years we'll be under the cap,'' D'Antoni said in Milwaukee. "Everything we do will lead us to the possibility of being under the cap in two years. Then I'll deal with making sure the team is competitive. We're not going to compromise our future because we might take a half-step."

The New York Daily News also is reporting the possibility of a Randolph trade:

The Knicks then want to turn around and trade Randolph to a team like the Clippers for a package involving players whose contracts run out before July 1, 2010, the day [LeBron] James becomes a free agent. Randolph is scheduled to make $17.3 million in 2010-11.

Two Clipper players mentioned in a potential deal include Tim Thomas, a former Knick, and Cuttino Mobley.

The Knicks are committed to upwards of $52 million for the 2010-11 season. With the cap expected to be around $64 million in two years, Walsh needs to shed payroll so he can show James the money, which would be a maximum-salary contract. Among the other Knicks players whose contracts extend into that season are Eddy Curry, Jared Jeffries, injured rookie Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler. Walsh is open to dealing Curry, who makes $11 million in 2010-11, but he has not played this season and has no value.

*UPDATE: The Daily News is now reporting that the Knicks are working on sending Randolph to Dallas.

Larry Hughes and Vinny Del Negro, AP

The Bulls entered the season with a glut of guards -- No. 1 pick Derrick Rose, Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, Larry Hughes and Thabo Sefolosha -- and even though injuries have eased the logjam, coach Vinny Del Negro still has his hands full. Hughes shared his displeasure about his role with the Chicago Tribune:

Larry Hughes started for the injured Luol Deng Wednesday, but Deng's sore left hamstring can't make the Bulls' glut of guards disappear.

That's why the disenchantment Hughes expressed late Tuesday in Los Angeles, after averaging 18 minutes this season, could resurface.

"I don't want to play like this," Hughes said. "I'm not comfortable with 15-20 minutes. Something has to change."

It did, albeit temporarily. But Derrick Rose is the No. 1 overall pick, Ben Gordon is the team's leading scorer and Kirk Hinrich, currently injured, is the best perimeter defender.

"You have to understand that situation and I do," Hughes said. "We have a lot of guys at one position. Somebody has to come off the bench and you accept that role. But I'm not expecting 15-20 minutes, and I don't want to deal with that."

Hughes, a former All-Star and starter for an NBA finalist, said he would accept coming off the bench as long as his minutes increased.

"We all understood the situation going in," he said. "I want to give it a little time, but being put in a situation not to succeed doesn't do me or the team any good.

"I have a lot to offer as far as helping guys out. I want to be a positive influence. But not being out there in crucial times, I don't see the benefit."

• Chicago Bulls' Larry Hughes not happy with limited role (Chicago Tribune)

Sasha Vujacic has been known to show his fiery side. Getty Images

The Lakers mixed a bit of dissension with their latest routine victory. Trevor Ariza confronted Sasha Vujacic after a second-quarter sequence Tuesday against Chicago, according to the Orange County Register:

The discord arose after Ariza had the ball under the basket and passed it out to Vujacic on the wing. Rather than move it back to Ariza or another teammate, Vujacic just held it for a beat and then launched a 3-pointer out of the flow.

The shot missed badly, and Vujacic was soon called for a foul, leading to an automatic timeout with 8:37 left in the second quarter.

That's when Ariza got in Vujacic's face and stayed there as the players walked from the far corner of the court back toward the Lakers' bench. [Kobe] Bryant shepherded Ariza toward the end of the bench and stood in his way while Ariza, who has a temper that his furtive demeanor belies, remained so keyed up that he just kept pacing.

[Phil] Jackson benched both Ariza and Vujacic. As play was resuming, Jackson did something he never does: He left his usual area and walked to the end of the bench to address the matter directly with Ariza.

"It's just something that we want to keep internal, so I'd just as soon not talk about it," Jackson said after the game. "Trevor let it out, and it was unfortunate to see that on the court."

Kevin Garnett, AP

Celtics coach Doc Rivers weighed in on the NBA's punishment of Kevin Garnett, who was suspended one game after a run-in with Milwaukee's Andrew Bogut on Saturday. From The Boston Globe:

"I think it's a joke, honestly," Rivers said. "But they (the NBA) did it and we have live with it. I'm just amazed the officials looked at the play for five to 10 minutes and didn't even think Kevin deserved more than just a technical, and the league looks at it and gives him a suspension. I just wish we had more consistency in our league, I really do."

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Rivers compared the play to a confrontation involving Phoenix center Shaquille O'Neal.

"You look at Shaq's [flagrant] foul [against Detroit's Rodney Stuckey on Sunday]," Rivers said, "I hate to call out names, but where a guy flies out of the air, he gets fined and Kevin can't play."

• Suspension surprises Celtics (Boston Globe)