Chris Copeland appears on the way out and Pablo Prigioni on the way back.
Things were heating up on the Copeland hunt yesterday as he was on the verge of signing an offer sheet that would likely spell the end of his brief but entertaining Knick career.
According to sources, Copeland has three offer sheets to choose from — the Pacers, the Lakers and an unknown team, possibly Cleveland.
As The Post reported, Mike D’Antoni was the first to call Copeland’s agent, John Spencer, when free agency began.
The Knicks have already offered a portion of their $3.18 mini mid-level exception to Prigioni. According to a person close to Prigioni, he received a two-year deal in the $2.3 million range. That would be $1.15 million of the exception and would likely not leave enough to match Copeland’s offer sheet.
“The Knicks loved Pablo,’’ one person familiar with their thinking said.
The Pacers, who eliminated the Knicks in six games, were looking to sign Copeland to an offer sheet with a portion of their mid-level exception of $5 million. The Knicks would technically have three days to match, but wouldn’t be able to under new collective bargaining agreement rules.
Apparently, Pacers coach Frank Vogel also thought the Knicks 29-year-old rookie should’ve played more in the second round. Knicks coach Mike Woodson took some heat for not playing Copeland more in the playoffs as he was never a big fan. The former Belgian Leaguer got two third-place votes for Rookie of the Year despite being in Woodson’s doghouse at times.
Copeland played in just three of the six games in the Boston series. He played in all six contests of the Indiana series, but some just in garbage time.
A friend of Copeland’s said last week he would have a tough time playing for the Pacers because they just knocked the Knicks out of the playoffs.