Before Stephon Marbury was shipped to Phoenix last summer by the Nets, he knew he was being shopped. According to a source, Marbury told one member of the Nets' family two days before the historic Jason Kidd trade, "I hope they ship me out west. That way I'll have a better chance of being traded to the Knicks," writes Marc Berman of the New York Post.

The Coney Island point guard keeps his Knick desires to himself. When asked last night about the Knicks' recent woes, he said, "I really don't care how they're doing. Why should I? It really doesn't matter to me."

League executives believe it's possible the Suns would eventually deal Marbury, probably in the summer. Knick GM Scott Layden had no chance of getting Marbury when he was with the Nets, who would never deal him to their cross-river rivals. Former Knick GM Ernie Grunfeld tried to obtain him from Minnesota four years ago, but his agent David Falk steered him to New Jersey.