The Knicks opened free agency yesterday with a little more hope after coach Mike Woodson, owner James Dolan and their front-office contingent had an audience with Steve Nash and the club got the Suns amenable to working out a sign-and-trade to get the two-time MVP more money.
During a three-hour meeting, they brought him up to their practice facility in Greenburgh, N.Y., for a tour and told him of sign-and-trade scenarios in which they would be able to offer the point guard up to $8 million per year. Otherwise, the Knicks would have only their $3.09 million midlevel exception to attempt to lure Nash.
But a large Raptors contingent also invaded the Big Apple yesterday morning, meaning business, and Toronto is ready to offer Nash $30 million-plus in a 3-year deal, leaving the Knicks as longshots. The Nets plan to meet with Nash this morning.
The Knicks know they will need to add more salary to a sign-and-trade package to lift their offer, but still feel they have “a little shot,’’ as one person put it.
An ESPN report stated the Raptors offered Nash a 3-year, $36 million package yesterday, but a source close to the situation said that was “false’’ and the sides hadn’t gotten “that far.’’ The Raptors’ leaking of the $36 million offer could be by design to scare off the Knicks, Nets and Mavericks.
Still, Nash would make at least $10 million a year with Toronto in exchange for giving up any hope of winning an NBA title. The Raptors are trying to clear more cap space by dealing point guard Jose Calderon.
The next two point guards on the Knicks’ free-agent board are Jason Kidd and former Knick Raymond Felton. At least the Knicks have sign-and-trade possibilities as their ace in the hole if their $3.09 million midlevel exception doesn’t do it for Kidd or Felton, who plans to meet with the Suns.
Kidd is close friends with Tyson Chandler, his former Dallas teammate, and they share the same agent. Kidd is intrigued by the Knicks if he doesn’t join Deron Williams in Brooklyn or Dallas as a package.
The Nash sweepstakes is drawing to a close after yesterday’s back-to-back meetings — first with the Raptors, then the Knicks. Saturday night, Nash and agent Bill Duffy sat in the popular Aurora restaurant in Manhattan when both their cell phones nearly exploded at midnight, starting with the Knicks’ call.
The Knicks can’t offer as much money as Toronto, but offered better than their mini-midlevel as The Post reported yesterday after having talks with the Suns on a sign-and-trade.
One sign-and trade piece would be late-season signee Dan Gadzuric, who still has a non-guaranteed $1.7 million that can be waived by Phoenix. Free agent Landry Fields, guard Toney Douglas and center Jerome Jordan are other assets that can be used in the sign-and-trade.
But the allure of playing in his home country, for a lot of Canadian money, is expected to sway Nash, who lives in the offseason in the West Village.
“I definitely feel I want to be validated monetarily to an extent,” he said at his soccer event. “It’s still very important. I think money in many ways represents respect. For example, if you sign with a team and take half or less money, six months later, they trade you. It isn’t everything but it is important and will be one of the factors involved.’’
The Knicks sold Nash on the idea of being the final piece to a championship run and the slew of money that can be made as a star in New York. It was the same schtick they laid on LeBron James.
As for the Nets, Nash is point-guard insurance in case Williams leaves, or could be used as a starting backcourt pair. At the soccer event, Nash said, “Brooklyn is beautiful.”
Felton, meanwhile, is intriguing because the Knicks already know he has chemistry with Amar’e Stoudemire and can handle the pressure of New York.
Andre Miller, low on the Knicks’ point-guard wish list, reportedly will re-sign with the Nuggets.
The Knicks are in no rush to offer free agent Jeremy Lin the maximum early-Bird offer of 4 years for $24 million , as they will see what the market bears for him. Toronto figured in the Lin mix before going all in on Nash .