Suns free agent point guard Chris Paul is among the targets for the Knicks, who have around $53 million in cap space entering free agency, Marc Berman of the New York Post.
Paul is declining his player option after helping the Suns reach the Finals, but is widely expected to re-sign with Phoenix on a longer deal.
But Knicks president Leon Rose may be hoping to change all that. Rose is a former CAA agent who once represented Paul.
“The Knicks are one of just six teams with cap space greater than $20 million,” Berman reported. “They’re only one of two teams that can give Paul a whopping three-year, $123 million offer, but rumblings out of the desert are Paul wants to run it back in the Valley of the Sun when he turns 37.”
Meanwhile, the Suns can offer Paul a deal worth $144 million over three years, but as Berman wrote, team owner Robert Sarver has sounded as if he doesn’t want to go overboard for a point guard who will be 40 years old by the time such a contract ends.
The Kicks have been linked to several other free agents, from Pelicans point guard Lonzo Ball to Raptors guard Kyle Lowry to Warriors small forward Kelly Oubre to many others. They also may be pursuing a trade for Pacers center Myles Turner or Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton.
Of course, all of those players have been mentioned as possibilities for multiple teams, so it’s hard to say who the improved Knicks may actually sign or land via trade.
“Be mindful, too, that Rose does not want to waste cap space on iffy long-term deals that would handcuff the Knicks in 2022 free agency when Bradley Beal, Zach LaVine and Jimmy Butler are expected to be on the market,” Berman wrote.
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