Chris Paul said yesterday he is ready to move on — to New Orleans.
Appearing with Carmelo Anthony at a Brooklyn Feed The Children charity event, Paul said his “heart is in New Orleans’’ and he can’t wait to start packing boxes to move from his North Carolina pad for the start of training camp in the Big Easy. Miami’s LeBron James and Dwyane Wade were also present, but they were not the featured attractions in the Big Apple.
The new NBA labor deal has linked Paul to the Knicks stronger than ever because the new salary cap will give them up to $20 million in room in the summer of 2012, when the point guard becomes a free agent.
An ESPN.com report yesterday said Paul is willing to wait until 2012 to sign with the Knicks rather than force a trade after which he can sign elsewhere. The Knicks may not have the trade pieces for such a deal.
“Ah, man, I have no idea about that type of stuff,’’ Paul said Tuesday. “I think right now the thing I’m most focused on is getting all these boxes out of my house in North Carolina and getting everything shipped back to New Orleans so I can get ready for the season.”
Paul and Anthony posed for pictures side by side at the Boys Club in Brooklyn, handing out boxes of food and household products in Fort Greene to needy families who stood in the rain in a line two blocks long.
James, Wade and Anthony giggled when Paul was asked if being in Brooklyn yesterday had symbolic significance.
“I try not to pay attention to any of that different type stuff,’’ Paul said. “My heart is in New Orleans, and right now the reason I’m in New York is, like Melo said, is for him. Us three, other than Melo, could have been anywhere right now, but it was all about these kids and giving out these boxes and giving these families an opportunity that they may never have got before. I know I’m just happy to be here and be part of it.”
Anthony was not asked about Paul yesterday, but last month he was quoted in The Post saying, “If he comes here, you’ll see a smile ear to ear. It’s not just me. It’s everybody in New York. If he decides to leave New Orleans, they’ll be feeling the same way I’m feeling.’’
Anthony is looking forward to Dec. 9, the tentative start of training camp and free agency if the labor deal is approved on time. Yesterday’s event benefitted his foundation.
“We are excited to be back together once again,’’ Anthony said. “Now we get a training camp together and we get time to gel. We’re just excited about the season.”
Paul spent a lot of time in New York this summer, including at the bargaining table as the union vice president.
“These past few months have been brutal,’’ Paul said. “To not be able to do what we love.’’
Soon enough, Anthony, a Brooklyn native, may have Paul and Amar’e Stoudemire to form a Gotham 3 to stack up with Miami’s Big 3. The new CBA will restore the sign-and-extend clause by which Paul can be traded and sign a contract extension.
But the new sign-and-extend is a three-year extension. Paul can get four years from the Knicks if he waits until free agency in 2012, when they have the cap space.
The Celtics reportedly would be willing to trade point guard Rajon Rondo if Paul agreed to a contract extension. More likely the Hornets trade Paul as a rental.
AGENTS, TEAMS CAN TALK
An NBA source said agents can start talking to teams about free agents today, but deals cannot be consummated until the official start of free agency. Agents are not permitted to even enter into oral agreements during this window. Players will be allowed into practice facilities tomorrow, but cannot work out with coaches in the gym.
The Knicks’ free agents include Shawne Williams, Jared Jeffries, Roger Mason, Shelden Williams and Anthony Carter. They are in the market for a defensive center, and have to figure out if they want to sign 2010 second-round pick, 7-footer Jerome Jordan. They are offering one-year deals to protect 2012 cap space.