One confidant of Steve Nash doubts the star point guard will truly give the Knicks any consideration even if they have their $5 millon mid-level exception, despite his remarks at a promotional appearance with Walt Frazier yesterday.
Frazier joked at the Samsung event, “We need you to come to New York.’’
When asked later, Nash told ESPN, “The Knicks are a great franchise and I live in New York City [in the summer], so I’d definitely consider them if they were interested.”
The confidant said Nash doesn’t really believe the Knicks are close enough to a title to take less money and didn’t like how former coach Mike D’Antoni, his buddy from Phoenix, was treated. Nash will get offers for more than $5 million, especially from Phoenix.
The Knicks won’t even be in the game for Nash if the union loses Jeremy Lin’s Bird Rights arbitration case.
If the union wins, the Knicks can sign Lin with the Bird exception, then wield the $5 million exception for a veteran point guard to join Lin.
If they sign Lin for the mid-level in a union loss, the Knicks would only be able to offer Nash the lower exception of $1.9 million.