Andrea Bargnani not in London with Knicks

The NBA can't be happy about this.

With the New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks in London, England for a global showcase on Thursday, the league's premier European superstar isn't even on hand. 

The Knicks have traveled to London without Italian forward Andrea Bargnani, who is sidelined with a strained right calf and won't play Thursday.

This will mark the sixth consecutive game Il Mago will miss and his 39th of the season, as he'd only returned for a brief, two-game, 22-minute run on New Year's Eve after missing the start of the season with multiple leg injuries. But those 22 minutes? Perfection, with Bargnani scoring nine points with four rebounds and two assists in 22 minutes while shooting 4-of-11.

Looking to sell high, the Knicks have placed Bargnani firmly on the trading block. With a salary of $11.5 million, plenty of red on his injury ledger and little in the way of recent on-court success, Bargnani is more likely to be bought out after the trade deadline than dealt, saving the Knicks a few lire and freeing Bargnani to sign with a team of his choosing.