Lou Amundson, a forward for the Knicks, calls himself an “aspiring minimalist.” The possessions that surround his life suggest he has been on a long vacation — a remarkable, itinerant trip that has lasted several years, crisscrossing the United States.

His mother, Eloise Berg, said the seeds were planted a little over three years ago, when Amundson was playing for the Golden State Warriors. It was just before Christmas, and he had just moved into a high-rise apartment building in San Francisco overlooking the Palace Hotel. Amundson was busy playing basketball every day, so Berg decided to fly from Denver to help him unpack. Berg spent a few days opening boxes and arranging her son’s things.

One night, as she was putting the finishing touches on the place, Amundson called to inform her that he had been traded to the Indiana Pacers. He asked, regrettably, if she could start putting his things back into boxes.