After being bounced by the Heat in five games, the Knicks' offseason is now underway. The club will have a lot of important decisions to make in the coming months, and Sam Amick of SportsIllustrated.com has the goods on what might be in the club's immediate future..
- Even though Mike Woodson shot down a report that he has had extension talks with the Knicks, a source close to the situation said that the coach has been telling people that he has had preliminary discussions with team officials about his return. Although anything can happen when it comes to the Knicks, the signs are strong that the Knicks will keep their coach rather than chase big names such as Phil Jackson or John Calipari.
- Retaining Woodson would help the Knicks in their effort to retain J.R. Smith. The guard will likely turn down his $2.5MM option for next season.
- Jeremy Lin's return seems like a foregone conclusion at this point as the Knicks can use their mid-level exception to match any offer. However, that could have a ripple effect on the rest of the club's roster. If the Knicks use the exception on Lin, they wouldn't be able to go $4MM above the luxury-tax threshold. Interested parties and CBA expert Larry Coon have indicated to Amick that Landry Fields would be on the outside-looking-in while retaining Steve Novak would also be a challenge.
- Can the Knicks move Amare Stoudemire this summer? One Western Conference exec said, "I can't think of anyone who has less trade value." The internal sentiment, according to one source close to the situation, is that this group can get it done with a core of Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony, and Tyson Chandler with a three-year window to make a title push.
- Even though Anthony and Stoudemire didn't play particularly well with Lin this season, the Knicks' front office is more focused on making it work than they are on considering any major changes, according to sources close to the situation.
- The Knicks were among the teams that asked the Hornets about Chris Paul before he was traded to the Clippers in December, according to sources.