While the Knicks pursue Steve Nash as their point guard of the future, it is possible they could lose both Jeremy Lin and Landry Fields to free agency.
As has been widely reported, Lin will meet Wednesday with the Houston Rockets and Fields has been extended a $20-million offer sheet from the Toronto Raptors.
Houston cut Lin in December, paving the way for his acquisition by Knicks GM Glen Grunwald and the eventual rise of Linsanity. Like other teams, the Rockets can offer him a back-loaded, “poison pill” four-year contract worth as much as $40 million. Such a deal could balloon to $10 or $15 million per year in the third and fourth years of the deal.
“Jeremy Lin’s an excellent player,’’ Rockets general manager Daryl Morey told The New York Post. “We got to know him firsthand when he was with the Rockets early this season. We think he’d make a fantastic addition to our team.’’
Because he is a restricted free agent, the Knicks can match any offer the Rockets or any other team make.
As for Fields, another restricted free agent, the Knicks can also match the Raptors offer, but will have only three days to do so after Fields signs it July 11.
Toronto made a shrewd move by tendering the offer sheet to Fields because now the Knicks cannot use him in a sign-and-trade with Phoenix for Nash, who is also considering Toronto as his landing spot.
Chris Emens, Fields’ agent, told the Post it was “certainly plausible” that Toronto was trying to derail the Nash trade with the offer to Fields.
Phoenix is also reportedly interested in Knicks rookie guard Iman Shumpert, who is recovering from ACL surgery, but the Knicks would appear unlikely to move him because of his defensive presence on the perimeter.
The Knicks would need to come up with about $9-10 million annually in order to entice Nash with a three-year deal, meaning parting with some combination of Toney Douglas ($2 million), Dan Gadzuric ($1.3 million), Jerome Jordan ($762,000) and Josh Harrellson ($762,000).
Meantime, the agent for unrestricted free agent Steve Novak told SNY.tv that “a dozen teams” had expressed interest in Novak.
The sharpshooting small forward has expressed an interest in returning to New York, but Mark Bartelstein, his agent, told SNY.tv his client will test the market.
