[h1]Spurs veteran Parker has Knicks on wish list[/h1]
Originally published: June 22, 2010 7:17 PM
Updated: June 22, 2010 7:28 PM
By ALAN HAHN
[email protected]
Photo credit: AP |
San Antonio Spurs'
Tony Parker, right, of France, walks down court after the Spurs were called for a foul against the
Phoenix Suns during the first quarter of Game 4 of a
Western Conference semifinal
NBA basketball series, Sunday, May 9, 2010, in
San Antonio.
The date that remains circled on every Knicks calendar from 2 Penn Plaza in
Manhattan to the MSG Training Center in Greenburgh is July 1, which suggests that there shouldn't be much happening before then.
The Knicks have explored a few options, including Spurs point guard
Tony Parker, who has told confidants that he would like to be traded if
San Antonio goes with
George Hill as the starter. Parker is in New York Wednesday to be part of
Steve Nash's annual "Showdown in Chinatown" event, which includes a soccer game among
NBA players and soccer stars at Sara D. Roosevelt Park on the Lower East Side at 6 p.m.
Parker has the Knicks high on his wish list, according to a source close to him, but a team source told Newsday that the Spurs have thus far shown no interest in engaging in trade discussions. Parker has one year left on his contract before he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
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With a bare-bones roster that has just four players under guaranteed contracts for next season, the Knicks could boost their appearance to prospective free agents by adding a high-profile veteran player before July 1. In 2007, the Celtics acquired
Ray Allen on draft night and it was believed to be the key to convincing
Kevin Garnett to accept a trade from the Timberwolves to the Celtics a few weeks later. But the Knicks appear to be holding firm with their plan to offer two max contracts to stars such as
LeBron James and
Chris Bosh (among others) and don't want to compromise any salary-cap space before July 1.
With that in mind, the Knicks aren't likely to package their two second-round picks to move up in the draft or even buy a first-rounder like they did last year when they acquired the rights to the 29th overall pick (
Toney Douglas) from the Lakers for $3 million. The Knicks have, however, done due diligence to check the market price for a late first-rounder. Four teams have multiple first-round picks -
the Grizzlies and Timberwolves (three) and Nets and Thunder (two) - and
the Grizzlies, Timberwolves and Thunder are known to be active sellers.
The Knicks always are mentioned as a candidate to buy a first-rounder because they are a deep-pocketed franchise and teams rely on their inclusion to drive up the price. But it isn't so much the money it would cost to buy the pick as the potential cap space it would take up. First-round picks automatically count against the cap and the salary range for late first-rounders are $850,000 to $1.1 million. That is significant to the Knicks, who will need every penny under the cap to fill out a roster if they do sign two max-contract players.
