NBA

Source: Nets have edge over Knicks in LeBron Derby

As the Knicks look to gain momentum in the LeBron James Sweepstakes, they appear to be losing ground even in their own town.

One person with ties to James told The Post he feels “The King” will bolt Cleveland — but that the Nets have a better shot than the Knicks in the six-team LeBron race.

James will keep an open mind as he enters Thursday’s Akron-area meetings, with the Bulls and Miami emerging as frontrunners. Six teams across three days will give their presentations.

“If it wasn’t for Newark for two years, they [the Nets] would probably be the winner,” the individual said. “But they probably have surpassed the Knicks. I think the Knicks hurt themselves with the draft.”

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James is intrigued by the Nets not just because of a more promising core, but because of the challenge of raising the profile of a club that has been steadfastly ignored in the Big Apple. Having his buddy Jay-Z as minority investor doesn’t hurt, either.

The Nets have first crack at James, on Thursday at 10 a.m., with the Knicks, led by owner James Dolan, up next at 1 p.m. Miami will go either Thursday or Friday and the Heat have considered having Dwyane Wade be part of the recruiting team in Ohio, according to a source.

The teams will meet with James, his manager Maverick Carter, agent Leon Rose and advisor William Wesley, who would seem to want James in Chicago because as a new coaching representative he just placed his first client there, Tom Thibodeau.

James’ manager canceled The King’s recruiting tour, which put a wrench in the Knicks’ long-planned, wine-and-dine, celebrity-filled New York visit.

“He wants it to be about basketball,” the source said.

Conflicting reports have flown the past 48 hours — one saying James would bring Chris Bosh with him to play in Miami with Wade. Another report quoted a league executive saying Bosh and James were guaranteed to join Chicago.

It forced the online betting company Bodog to take down its line.

“I have been working on setting some odds on where guys like James, Bosh and Wade will end up, but it has become so volatile that it is not worth the risk as a book manager to throw something like this up,” Bodog bookmaker Richard Gardner said.

Although a source said it is not definitive, the Knicks were planning to fly across the country to meet with Joe Johnson tomorrow at midnight in Los Angeles, and possibly later with Amar’e Stoudemire. Johnson is meeting with his own team, the Hawks, who are expected to offer him a six-year, maximum contract. That offer would be one year and $30 million more than the Knicks are permitted to offer.

Johnson wants to play for coach Mike D’Antoni, but turning down an extra $30 million will be tough. The Knicks would try to get a commitment from Johnson before seeing James first.

If James spurns them, the Knicks’ Plan B is getting Johnson and Stoudemire as their two maximum-contract deals. On Friday, the Knicks hope to host Bosh and Wade in New York.

“I haven’t set anything in stone,” Wade told The Miami Herald.

The NBA cracked down yesterday, issuing a new tampering warning on teams and players confirming meetings.

The Knicks will likely investigate free-agent star Carlos Boozer, but some in the organization think he’s the equal of their own free agent David Lee and not worth the maximum.

Lee’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, admits the timing might be tough for Lee to wait on the Knicks if Lee gets an early offer elsewhere.

“You can’t do that,” Bartelstein told The Post. “It’s business, and when things happen quickly, you have to make a decision.”

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Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo said “it’s likely” that Bosh will leave Toronto. Colangelo told a Toronto radio station that, while the team still hopes to keep Bosh, “it’s becoming more and more clear that that’s not going to happen.”