The New York Knicks are still mum on their plans of whether or not to trade Iman Shumpert, but the versatile guard could be closer to exiting after a reported shouting match with superstar Carmelo Anthony, the New York Post reported.

Shumpert and Anthony were seen having a heated argument during a timeout in the third quarter of their 103-99 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday. Curiously, Shumpert was benched for the entire fourth quarter after the heated argument.

Anthony declined to talk about Shumpert after the game, while Shumpert played down the incident, saying that it was just a "miscommunication" on the defensive end of the floor.

Aside from the heated altercation, another factor that could accelerate the rumored plan to trade Shumpert is the emergence of rookie guard Tim Hardaway Jr., who took the playing time of Shumpert in the fourth period of Sunday's game.

Hardaway Jr. had a breakout game, scoring 12 of his 21 points in the final period of the match. The 21-year-old rookie shot 6-for-10 from the field, including an impressive 5-for-8 clip from the three-point region, earning praises from Anthony.

"Tim gave us a big night off the bench," Anthony said on Hardaway Jr.'s performance. "He knocked down shots when he was open."

The Knicks, who had a 54-win season last year, are in the midst of a dismal start, losing in 13 of their first 16 games this season.

 Anthony recently said that the Knicks are missing the veteran presence that they had last season from Jason Kidd and Rasheed Wallace, but head coach Mike Woodson said that the current Knicks players should move on, adding that the current roster is good enough to win games.

"They're not here this season and they're not going to walk through that door," Woodson said in a Newsday interview. "We've got to go with what we have. And I think what we have is good enough to win with."

The Knicks are also playing without Tyson Chandler, but the defensive-specialist center could be back in about two weeks. The former Defensive Player of the Year, who is currently recovering from a non-displace fracture of his right fibula, is expected to provide a huge boost to the Knicks' frontline.