“Nate-Gate” blew up last night when Nate Robinson’s agent asked Donnie Walsh that he look to trade the Knicks 5-foot-7½ guard, saying he believes his client’s banishment is because of a personal vendetta held by Mike D’Antoni.
Aaron Goodwin, Robinson’s agent, told The Post he spoke with Walsh last night in the wake of Robinson’s eighth straight DNP vs. the Clippers on Friday.
The final straw came when Robinson did not play the past two games vs. the Bulls and Clippers, despite Larry Hughes being out with a groin. Hughes may miss tonight’s game vs. Charlotte and D’Antoni indicated Robinson was not in the picture.
“I have asked the Knicks to move Nate,” Goodwin told The Post “At this point it’s personal. I don’t think Mike [D’Antoni] has [ever] done anything to show it’s basketball-related. I felt that way talking to Walsh during the Chicago game when they went 4-of-23 in the third quarter and the gentleman didn’t look for Nate to help out. They had a 39-point second half and for whatever reason he didn’t consider Nate.”
Robinson signed a one-year, $4 million contract days before training camp and the player needs to give his approval for a trade under CBA law because it was a one-year deal. If Robinson is traded to a team that makes the playoffs, he would get an additional $1 million bonus.
The Lakers, Kings and Orlando showed interest in Robinson over the summer when he was a free agent, but no offers were made, figuring the Knicks would match.
For several reasons, Robinson, despite his popularity among fans because of his “Krypto-Nate” dunk-champion character, could be tough to move as the Knicks would want an expiring contract and draft pick coming back to protect their cap. It is unclear if the Knicks would be agreeable to a buyout if they are unable to find a trade.
The Post reported Thursday Robinson’s agents were prepared to spring into action if he did not play during Hughes’ injury absence.
“I have tremendous respect for James [Dolan] and Donnie,” Goodwin said. “I want to make sure it’s done the right way. I do feel it’s time for Nate to move on.”
Goodwin also took exception to D’Antoni’s remark about Satan on Friday in Chicago.
“He made the statement that he’d play Satan if Satan could help him win and I found that to be disrespectful to Nate,” Goodwin said. “Nate gave 4½ years to the Knicks and tried like hell to win games and he didn’t look Nate’s way.”
Walsh has told The Post in recent days he would look to move Robinson if the agents asked him to. Goodwin said Walsh is agreeable to working with them. Walsh did not return phone calls last night.
The super athletic Robinson is among their top scoring threats but had been on four straight losing teams and been accused of immature antics on the court. Last season, he averaged 17.2 ppg and received a few votes for Sixth Man of the year. This season, hampered by an early hamstring injury, Robinson averaged 10.9 points in 12 games, averaging 22 minutes.
Goodwin thought Robinson was playing well enough before the banishment to earn a starting role let alone be demoted.
The Knicks are 5-3 in the eight games Robinson was a DNP. In an interesting stat, they had not won a game in which Robinson played more than 19 minutes.
Walsh has supported D’Antoni’s decision. However, Walsh said Friday he expected Robinson to get back into the rotation once he gets better at fitting into the system.