With New York having over $30 million to spend in the wildest free agent frenzy in NBA history, they have been constantly meeting and calling players to gauge the interest of some of the top names out there. While LeBron ponders which city he will sign with, the Knicks are doing everything they can to put together a team of good players in hopes of luring the King to NYC. New York has reportedly already made one massive offer, but will they actually end up with any of the major names?
Amare Stoudemire: He is the most likely of all of the free agents to be playing next season at MSG for the Knicks. He has reportedly been offered a 5-year/$100 million deal to come play in New York. With Amare already attending Yankees games doning the home team gear (Stoudemire has always liked the Yankees, evening wearing a NY cap to a Diamondbacks-Yankees game in Arizona), it seems very likely he will be in orange and blue this season. Even though some teams are worried about Stoudemire's injury history, I feel like he can still be a major contributor with the right pieces around him. Expect Amare to be even more dominant with a switch to the Eastern Conference.LeBron James: Representatives for both sides met for a second time to update LeBron's people on the New York's standing with Stoudemire. The Knicks hope signing Amare will entice James to jump on board, and they may be making a wise decision. While some people, including myself, feel LeBron will eventually sign with a team including Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, Stoudemire would mesh very well with James' style of play. Many experts felt Cleveland should've made a stronger push to acquire him last season instead of Jamison. While I personally don't see James in NYC next year, bringing in Amare would definitely improve their odds.
Tony Parker: There have been rumors swirling about a possible Parker-Knicks deal for the past month now but there still hasn't been much movement. In an interview earlier today, Amare Stoudemire apparently thinks Parker and Carmelo Anthony will be joining him next season in NYC. While it's extremely unlikely the Knicks could land both of these players, there is a fairly decent chance they could acquire one of them. Anthony probably won't be traded out of Denver as I expect him to re-sign with the Nuggets in the near future. That leaves Parker, who according to many of his close friends, would be very open to a move to the Knicks. If Parker and Stoudemire were to team up, they might be leading NY to the playoffs as early as this season.
Other Point Guards: Raymond Felton, Jordan Farmar, and Luke Ridnour are all targets the Knicks are rumored to be interested in. Depending on whether or not New York lands another top free agent to pair with Stoudemire when he signs (note I said when), Felton may be out of the Knick's price range depending on other offers he will likely recieve. Farmar has proven he a very capable back up and has good court vision with ability to drive to the rim, but is he a starting caliber player? In my opinion, no. And signing Luke Ridnour would likely be a mistake, he has never been a great player and hasn't really been known for his leadership abilities. Felton should definitely be the Knicks main focus other than LeBron because if they can't land him, they could use two quality middle-rated free agents just as much as they could use one other top level star.David Lee: While he provides a solid 20 points and 10 rebounds, Lee will likely be finding himself on a new team next season. If the Knicks do in fact sign Stoudemire as expected it almost certainly mean Lee will leave in free agency or via sign and trade. With teams such as Boston, Miami, and Minnesota showing interest in him, New York likely will let him walk or move him to acquire some new pieces to put in their revamped line up. There is a chance that the Knicks could choose to re-sign Lee and pair him with Amare, but offering Lee the kind of contract he is seeking would likely take them out of the running for another superstar free agent such as James, Wade, and Bosh. If all three of those players sign elsewhere before Lee inks a deal, expect New York to take a long look at the possibility of keeping him in a Knicks uniform.
