Reports have surfaced Thursday that the New York Knicks are extremely close to signing center Tyson Chandler, who was one of the heroes on the Mavericks' championship squad last season.
According to a source close to Chandler, "New York is Tyson's first choice. It's 98 percent sure that Tyson is going to end up with the Knicks."
Additionally, the Knicks seem to be ahead of the Golden State Warriors in acquiring Chandler. The Warriors have publicly stated that Chandler is their main priority and they will do whatever it takes to sign the big man.
To create cap space to sign Chandler, the Knicks will either have to trade or use the new amnesty clause on point guard Chauncey Billups and center Ronny Turiaf.
Signing Chandler could also free up cap space for the Knicks to offer forward Amare Stoudemire to the New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul, who has been subject to trade talks over the last few weeks. Paul apparently wants to badly reunite with Chandler, who he played with in New Orleans.
That's just one option that the Knicks are considering and it could very well happen.
To counter the Knicks, the Warriors are prepared to offer Chandler a four-year deal worth approximately $60 million, in hopes of cutting them out of the picture. But Chandler is still dead-set on going to the Big Apple and it could happen very, very soon.
It is very unlikely that the Mavericks will retain Chandler and they have been acting like he's already gone and he will not be on the roster when they play their first game later this month.According to a report, the Mavericks offered Chandler to the Magic in a complicated sign-and-trade deal for center Dwight Howard, who like Paul, has been subject to many trade talks recently.
However, no one on the Mavericks, mainly owner Mark Cuban, has said that Chandler will not return to the Mavericks, but with contract talks currently stalled, there really isn't any doubt that Chandler won't return to Dallas.
But it looks like that Chandler won't return because the Mavericks are trying to have as much cap space in 2012, when players like Deron Williams, Dwight Howard and Chris Paul will hit the free agency market.
Mark Cuban and Co. are also trying to have some cap flexibility when their franchise player, Dirk Nowitzki, becomes a free agent somewhere down the road.
So, as of right now, the Mavericks will likely open the season without Chandler and it seems as though that the Knicks will be the ones to land Chandler's services.
And if Chandler lands with the Knicks, the one question that remains is: Will the Knicks land Chris Paul, if they acquire Chandler?
As stated above, Paul and Chandler want to play together and it will possibly take Amare Stoudemire to sweeten the deal. So if the Knicks are able to do what they want to do, they will be looking at a team that features Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler.
It may not be like Miami's Big Three, but they should be able to challenge the Heat and eventually be part of the Eastern Conference's supremacy.
Two sources close to Chandler apparently told ESPN.com, "He's not coming back."
